cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formation of the Palladium(IV) Complex [(Me3tacn)PdIVMe3]+ through Aerobic Oxidation of (Me3tacn)PdIIMe2 (Me3tacn = N,N′,N″-Trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane)

The dimethyl PdII complex (Me3tacn)PdIIMe2 (Me3tacn = N,N′,N″-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) undergoes facile aerobic oxidation to yield the stable species [(Me3tacn)PdIVMe3]+. EPR, UV–vis, and ESI-MS studies suggest an inner-sphere mechanism for the oxidation of (Me3tacn)PdMe2 by O2 and formation of PdIV species. In addition, the structurally characterized complex [(Me3tacn)PdIVMe3]I undergoes selective elimination of ethane at elevated temperatures. Overall, this system represents one of the first examples of aerobic oxidation of a PdII organometallic precursor to yield a well-defined PdIV product, supporting the role of PdIV species as viable intermediates in Pd-mediated catalytic or stoichiometric aerobic oxidative transformations.
Variations in the amount of transformed atoxyl (trypanotoxyl) produced by varying the strength of atoxyl incubated with blood

A 10 per cent. solution of atoxyl in blood incubated for 1 to 3 hours at 37° C. is more than 10 times as toxic for Trypanosoma brucei as a 1 per cent. solution in blood similarly incubated. To avoid misleading results due to the transforming action of red blood corpuscles upon unaltered atoxyl continuing after the dilutions are made, immediately after incubation all red blood corpuscles should be removed by centrifugalization from the fluid containing the transformed atoxyl.
Lambda-Temperatures of Solutions of He 3 in He 4 below 1°K

Measurements have been made of the transition (lambda) temperatures at which solutions of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ in ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ first show superfluidity by observation of the thermal isolation of a vessel which contained the solutions and which was cooled to low temperature by a paramagnetic salt. The incidence of superfluidity was accompanied by a high heat influx to the solution produced by a convection of film flow to the high temperature together with return flow in the vapor phase. The solution with the highest concentration, namely 89 percent ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$, had a lambda-temperature of 0.38\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K; solutions with smaller ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ content (concentrations down to 42 percent ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ were investigated) showed higher lambda-temperatures ranging up to 1.15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. It was concluded that pure ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ could not be superfluid above 0.25\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and most probably is not superfluid down to 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. From the results conclusions have been drawn regarding the free energy of pure ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ in the liquid II state on the basis of the two-fluid model.
Apoptosis of lung cells regulated by JNK signal pathway in hyperoxia-induced lung injury

AIM: To observe the changes of lung cell apoptosis and the expression of phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase(p-JNK) protein during hyperoxia exposure,and to investigate the regulatory mechanism of JNK signal transduction pathway on hyperoxia-induced lung cell apoptosis.METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats aged 3 wk were randomly divided into 6 groups(n=8): room-air group,3,7,14 d hyperoxia exposure groups,room-air with inhibitor of JNK intervention group,7 d hyperoxia exposure with inhibitor of JNK intervention group.The histopathologi-cal changes of lung tissues were examined by light microscope.The extents of lung cell apoptosis were analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) assay.The distributions and the protein levels of p-JNK were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western Blot analysis,respectively.RESULTS: The typical pathologic characters of acute and chronic lung injury were discovered in hyperoxia exposure groups.The cell apoptotic index and the p-JNK protein levels of lung tissues both significantly increased in hyperoxia exposure groups compared with those in room-air group(P0.05).The p-JNK positive cells increased strikingly in hyperoxia exposure groups compared with those in room-air group.SP600125,the specific inhibitor of JNK,significantly inhibited JNK activity both in room-air and hyperoxia exposure groups(P0.05).The cell apoptotic index of lung tissues under hyperoxia exposure reduced markedly after intervention with SP600125(P0.05).CONCLUSION: Cell apoptosis is an important histopathologic feature of hyperoxia-induced lung injury.The activation of JNK signal transduction pathway may initiate under hyperoxia stress and maybe play a role in promoting lung cell apoptosis in hyperoxia-induced lung injury.
Virtual Operation of Motor Based on the Virtual Reality Technology

In this paper,the virtual reality technology was introduced and analyzed.An online virtual display method based on the 3DS MAX and VRM was given.The 3D model of the three-phase asynchronous motors with 3DS MAX and its virtual display scene model were built.The combination of VRML virtual interactive technology has become a virtual scene about interactive virtual operation of motor.VR plays an important role in many scientific fields.In education,based on VR technology,students can finish some experiments that are too dangerous to be done in the real world.It is also be used for auxiliary teaching,and so on.
Convolution: a method for data analysis in perifusion systems

Considerable interest has developed in defining how imposed stimuli effect dynamic changes in cellular metabolism. We have developed a miniature perifusion system that can reveal alterations in extracellular protons within seconds after application of metabolic perturbants. This perifusion system contains two pH sensors: one before the cells records changes between medium and test solutions, and one, located just past the cells, records these alterations plus cellular modifications. Because distortion occurs as chemicals pass through perifusion systems, the shape of pH changes induced by switching from medium to test solutions is different at each electrode. This study describes and validates convolution to correct this distortion. Data from HeLa cells exposed to the metabolic uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone have been analyzed with convolution. Cellular response to oxidative phosphorylation removal is comprised of multiple components, is consistent with a rapid uncoupling, and is followed by cellular adaptation. Therefore convolutional analysis can provide an important adjunct to the analysis of data acquired by perifusion and can provide new insights into cellular responsiveness and metabolism.
An Example: A Graphical Database

In this chapter we will describe the design and implementation of a simplified example of a graphical database system. The objective of this system is to enable a user to manipulate and traverse simple graphical images. We will take the approach that the system is to be designed from scratch, so that there is no need to reuse any existing structures or code. In particular, we will not attempt to incorporate any code that we had developed previously as part of a procedurally based system.
Decentralized load frequency control for an interconnected power system with nonlinearities

A decentralized load frequency controller (LFC) is developed on a two-area interconnected power system with non-reheat turbines only. The nonlinearities such as governor dead band (GDB) and generation rate constraint (GRC) are included in the block diagram of the power system. A sliding mode based LFC is applied to each area of the power system. Our control goal is to regulate frequency error and tie-line power error despite the presences of power load changes and parameter variations. The sliding-mode based LFC is simulated on the nonlinear interconnected power system. The simulation results demonstrate the robustness of the control system against external disturbance and system uncertainties. They also verify the effectiveness of the LFC by driving the frequency error and tie-line power error to zero.
Thermal modeling of wide bandgap materials for power MOSFETs

This paper investigates the thermal performance of different wide bandgap (WBG) materials for their applicability as semiconductor material in power electronic devices. In particular, Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) are modeled for this purpose. These WBG materials have been known to show superior intrinsic material properties as compared to Silicon (Si), such as higher carrier mobility, lower electrical and thermal resistance. These unique properties have allowed for them to be used in power devices that can operate at higher voltages, temperatures and switching speeds with higher efficiencies. Digital prototyping of power devices have facilitated inexpensive and flexible methods for faster device development. The commercial simulation software COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate a 2-D model of MOSFETs of these WBG materials to observe their thermal performance under different voltage and current operating conditions. COMSOL is a simulation software that can be used to simulate temperature changes due to Joule heating in the case of power MOSFETs. COMSOL uses Finite Element/Volume Analysis methods to solve for variables in complex geometries where multiple material properties and physics are involved. The Semiconductor and Heat Transfer with Solids modules of COMSOL were used to study the thermal performance of the MOSFETs in steady state conditions. The results of the simulations for each of the two WBG materials were compared with that of Silicon to determine relative stability and merit of each material.
Prostatic Acid Phosphatase Alters the RANKL/OPG System and Induces Osteoblastic Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases

Prostate cancer (PCa) is unique in its tendency to produce osteoblastic (OB) bone metastases. There are no existing therapies that specifically target the OB phase that affects 90% of men with bone metastatic disease. Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is secreted by PCa cells in OB metastases and increases OB growth, differentiation, and bone mineralization. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether PAP effects on OB bone metastases are mediated by autocrine and/or paracrine alterations in the receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system. To investigate whether PAP modulated these factors and altered the bone reaction, we knocked down PAP expression in VCaP cells and stably overexpressed PAP in PC3M cells, both derived from human PCa bone metastases. We show that knockdown of PAP in VCaP cells decreased OPG while increasing RANK/RANKL expression. Forced overexpression of PAP in PC3M cells had the inverse effect, increasing OPG while decreasing ...
Fundamental and Emergent Geometry in Newtonian Physics

AbstractUsing as a starting point recent and apparently incompatible conclusions by Saunders ([2013]) and Knox ([2014]), I revisit the question of the correct spacetime setting for Newtonian physic...
Cramer-Rao bound and image representation in emission tomography

The Cramer-Rao (CR) lower bound on the error variances of image reconstruction in emission tomography is valuable in that it can be specified independent of the reconstruction algorithm. In addition to the variance lower bounds, the inverse Fisher information matrix of the multi-parameter CR bound also contains information on the spatial resolution of estimates which achieve the lower bound. In this work the minimum variance and spatial resolution information of the CR bound are used for the evaluation of different representations of the emission map. The emission map is represented here as the superposition of basis functions, which can be rectangular/pixel, Gaussian or Kaiser-Bessel. Square and hexagonal packing of these basis functions are also studied. How the lower bounds and spatial resolution varies spatially are illustrated with example objects. It is shown how the multi-parameter CR bound can be used as a yardstick for evaluating the performances of different representations of the emission map. It gives a useful theoretical limit on how well different representations can perform. >
Analyzing the Role of Science Practices in ACS Exam Items

Recent efforts to reform K–12 science curricula, embedded within the NRC Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards, have focused on unifying core disciplinary content with crosscutting concepts that span across science disciplines and scientific practices. With these reforms comes the challenge of creating “three-dimensional” assessments that measure beyond basic content knowledge mastery to incorporate measures of science practices and crosscutting concepts. Adding measures of science practices to traditional forms of assessments may prove to be challenging. The work herein investigates how science practices have been inherently incorporated into previously released ACS exams through analysis and classification of ACS general chemistry exam items with a developed rubric. The findings may help to inform the creation of new assessment items that are more explicit in their incorporation of science practices by building upon the implicit incorporation of science practices...
Albedo enhancement by stratospheric sulfur injections: More research needed

Research on albedo enhancement by stratospheric sulfur injection inspired by Paul Crutzen's paper a decade ago has made clear that it may present serious risks and concerns as well as benefits if used to address the global warming problem. While volcanic eruptions were suggested as innocuous examples of stratospheric aerosols cooling the planet, the volcano analog also argues against stratospheric geoengineering because of ozone depletion and regional hydrologic responses. Continuous injection of SO2 into the lower stratosphere would reduce global warming and some of its negative impacts, and would increasing the uptake of CO2 by plants, but research in the past decade has pointed out a number of potential negative impacts of stratospheric geoengineering. More research is needed to better quantify the potential benefits and risks so that if society is tempted to implement geoengineering in the future it will be able to make an informed decision.
Bringing the Borderlands to the Web: The Arizona-Sonora Documents Online Project

Archival repositories are increasingly publishing digital images of their collections online to support remote research. Arizona Sonora Documents Online exemplifies this trend. It provides web access to fifteen manuscript collections on the history of Sonora, Mexico, that are located at three different archival repositories in Arizona.
Experimental and First‐Principles Evidence for Interfacial Activity of Ru/TiO2 for the Direct Conversion of m‐Cresol to Toluene

The selective cleavage of C−O bonds in phenolic species is perhaps the most difficult transformation required for converting biomass-derived monomers to aromatic fuels and chemicals. Metals supported on reducible oxides, such as Ru/TiO2, have demonstrated considerable promise for a variety of selective C−O cleavage reactions, but the active site has been subject of a great deal of speculation. This paper employs a combination of theory and experiments to investigate the nature of the active site for the selective transformation of m-cresol to toluene. Through variation of metal loading, particle size and support phase, we show that sites responsible for direct C−O cleavage of m-cresol lie at the perimeter of the metal particle. The activation barrier for C−O cleavage is reduced from 1.4 eV on the Ru surface to 0.7 eV at an interfacial site. The introduction of water facilitates a further reduction to 0.3 eV via a proton-assisted C-O cleavage. These results answer a longstanding question regarding the nature of these important active sites, with broad implications for biomass upgrading.
Identification of a Microfilament-Enriched, Motile Domain in Amoeboflagellates of Physarum Polycephalum

A distinctive, transient cytoplasmic domain was identified in haploid cells of Physarum polycephalum that are transforming from amoebae into flagellate swimming cells. As revealed by light microscopy, this region, termed the ridge, is a flattened cytoplasmic extension that displays a specific form of motility, characterized by undulations that propagate rapidly down its long axis. The ridge was further examined by scanning electron microscopy of whole cells, and by transmission electron microscopy of serial sections and negative stain preparations of amoeboflagellate cytoskeletons. We identified three distinct components possibly related to ridge motility: a short flagellum closely associated with the ridge surface, an array of microtubules that is part of a complex microtubular apparatus and a network of filaments that forms a well-defined laminar core within the ridge. Labelling studies with heavy meromyosin subfragment I (S-I) indicated that a major portion of the filament network is actin. Peripheral microfilaments appeared to have a uniform orientation in that arrowheads pointed towards the cell body. Other ordered filament arrangements were apparent with a modified extraction protocol using phalloidin. Similar microfilament organization has been reported in motile regions of other systems, such as the lamellipodia of tissue culture cells. However, the ridge can be distinguished from such other motile regions in that it forms independently of contact with a substratum and is only present in a specific region of amoeboflagellates. Moreover, the ridge appears at a specific time during the course of the transformation. The ridge constitutes a new system for studying the structural basis of cell motility. The arrangements of actin- and microtubule-containing ridge components suggest several testable hypotheses concerning their involvement in cytoskeletal or motile functions.
Linking Class and Community: An Investigation of Service Learning

This study contributes to the service learning (SL) literature by providing new empirical evidence of learning from a problem-based SL research project conducted in a developmental research methods...
Critical Zone services as environmental assessment criteria in intensively managed landscapes

The Critical Zone (CZ) includes the biophysical processes occurring from the top of the vegetation canopy to the weathering zone below the groundwater table. CZ services provide a measure for the goods and benefits derived from CZ processes. In intensively managed landscapes, cropland is altered through anthropogenic energy inputs to derive more productivity, as agricultural products, than would be possible under natural conditions. However, the actual costs of alterations to CZ functions within landscape profiles are unknown. Through comparisons of corn feed and corn-based ethanol, we show that valuation of these CZ services in monetary terms provides a more concrete tool for characterizing seemingly abstract environmental damages from agricultural production systems. Multiple models are combined to simulate the movement of nutrients throughout the soil system, enabling the measurement of agricultural anthropogenic impacts to the CZ's regulating services. Results indicate water quality and atmospheric stabilizing services, measured by soil carbon storage, carbon respiration, and nitrate leaching, among others, can cost more than double that of emissions estimated in previous studies. Energy efficiency in addition to environmental impact is assessed to demonstrate how the inclusion of CZ services is necessary in accounting for the entire life cycle of agricultural production systems. These results conclude that feed production systems are more energy efficient and less environmentally costly than corn-based ethanol.
Multi-level sample importance ranking based progressive transmission strategy for time series body sensor data

Abstract Body sensors have gained increasing interest during the past several years. With more applications deployed, it is imperative to ensure the success of data analysis, which largely depends on data transmission reliability as well as the importance of samples received. Traditional approaches focus on improving data reliability through various schemes such as the prioritization of MAC access. However, in this paper we analyze the characteristics of time series body sensor data and propose to rank sample importance based on a multi-level approach. With this approach, samples are grouped into five levels, indicating their importance with regard to data analysis. Then, a progressive transmission strategy is designed to transmit samples in order of their importance so that the overall received data quality is maximized. Extensive experiment results indicate that as much as 40–60% bandwidth saving can be achieved while meeting the requirements of data analysis algorithms.
A potential therapeutic role for angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in human pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a deadly disease with no cure. Alternate conversion of Angiotensin II to Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) by angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) resulting in Mas receptor (Mas1) activation improves rodent models of PAH. Effects of rhACE2 in human PAH are unknown. Objectives: To determine the effects of rhACE2 in PAH. Methods: We defined the molecular effects of Mas1 activation using porcine pulmonary arteries, measured AngII/Ang-(1-7) levels in human PAH and conducted a phase IIa open-label pilot study of a single infusion of rhACE2 (GSK2586881, 0.2 mg·kg −1 or 0.4 mg·kg −1 IV, NCT01884051). Results: Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and inflammatory gene expression were identified as markers of Mas1 activation. After confirming reduced plasma ACE2 activity in human PAH, 5 patients were enrolled in the trial. GSK2586881 was well tolerated with significant improvement in cardiac output and pulmonary vascular resistance. GSK2586881 infusion was associated with reduced plasma markers of inflammation within 2–4 h and increased SOD2 plasma protein at 2 weeks. Conclusions: PAH is characterised by reduced ACE2 activity. Augmentation of ACE2 in a pilot study was well-tolerated, associated with improved pulmonary hemodynamics and reduced markers of oxidant and inflammatory mediators. Targeting this pathway may be beneficial in human PAH.
Host—Pathogen Interactions in the Gastrointestinal Tract

During the last two decades, much attention has been devoted to the understanding of the local immune system especially in the intestinal and respiratory tracts. As a result, a large body of literature is now available concerning the role of humoral as well as cell-mediated immune responses at the mucosal surfaces against mucosal infections and in limiting systemic uptake of other luminal antigens. Since most infections are acquired via mucosal surfaces, the development of mucosal immunologic reactivity has been considered by many as the first line of defense at these sites.
Applications of Molecular Tests in Anatomic Pathology

Molecular testing in anatomic pathology is becoming increasingly important for most organ systems, including in the lung. Such tests are used both diagnostically and prognostically and are particularly important in the workup of neoplasia and for identification or subclassification for certain infectious processes. Fresh and frozen tissues are always considered to be the most optimal source of DNA and RNA that serves as the template for targeted molecular analysis. However, archival paraffin-embedded tissue is an attractive alternative source of tissue for clinical testing. Paraffin-embedded tissue can be a critical source of nucleic acid when unexpected diagnoses are rendered in the pathologic evaluation of tissue material. It also, however, provides the advantage of allowing for archival analysis with correlation to outcome.
Gender Discrimination in Online Markets

We study whether a seller’s gender impacts the bargained-for price in a product market, specifically baseball cards, as well whether any discrimination that might be present is taste-based or statistically-based. We accomplish this by isolating the seller’s gender using an online transaction on eBay where the buyer is exposed to the seller’s gender by only the seller’s hand and name. We test for differential treatment in two environments: a field experiment, in which we actually sell cards on eBay, and a laboratory experiment, in which we conduct surveys via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). We find that there is consistent differential treatment of female sellers across both environments. However, this treatment runs in the opposite direction of the discrimination found in most studies of gender. We find that women sell baseball cards for a higher price and greater profit on eBay compared to men. This finding was replicated in the MTurk study. The MTurk study suggested that the reason for a higher price appears to be at least partially based on statistical discrimination, with respondents believing that female sellers were more likely to handle the card carefully and promptly mail it after purchase and less likely to present problems in completing the transaction. Part of the discrimination may also be taste–based. In the eBay experiment, women obtained higher prices and profits even for cards that had been professionally graded, where the quality of the card should not have been in doubt. And MTurk respondents were also more likely to want to meet the female sellers in person and believed they were attractive.
Bimanual force control differs between increment and decrement.

Abstract Background Everyday bimanual tasks require increasing and decreasing forces to manipulate objects. Optimal bimanual coordination during force increment and decrement is essential to complete a bimanual task. However, little is known about the differences in bimanual control during force increment and decrement. The purpose of this study was to 1) investigate whether task performance and bimanual coordination differ between force increment and force decrement in a bimanual task, and 2) determine the contribution of bimanual coordination to task performance during force increment and force decrement. Methods Seventeen right-handed young adults (24.10 ± 3.09 years) performed following tasks involving bimanual isometric index finger flexion: 1) maximum voluntary contractions and 2) visually-guided force tracking involving gradual force increment and decrement. The force tracking task involved controlled force increment and decrement while tracking a trapezoid trajectory. The task goal was to match the target force with the total force, i.e., sum of forces produced by both hands as accurately as possible. We quantified bimanual task performance with the accuracy and variability of total force in force increment and decrement phases. We measured bimanual coordination between two hand forces by computing time-series cross-correlation coefficient and amplitude of coherence in 0–1 Hz. Results We found decreased accuracy and increased variability of the total force in decrement compared with increment phase. Further, the cross-correlation coefficient and coherence amplitude were greater during force decrement than force increment phase. Finally, cross-correlation coefficient and coherence in 0.5–1 Hz predicted the accuracy and variability of total force. Conclusions We provide evidence that task performance is reduced during force decrement as compared with force increment, suggesting that force release is more challenging than force generation in bimanual tasks. Further, bimanual coupling of the forces was better during force decrement than force increment. Overall, the coordination of forces from both hands influences the task performance across combined increment and decrement phases. Specifically, decoupling of forces produced by both hands facilitates error compensation strategy to reach the task goal. Together, these findings highlight that the bimanual control of forces is task-dependent and emphasize the importance of collaboration between hands in achieving a common task goal. These results may have implications for understanding changes in bimanual control with aging and neurological disorders.
3133 Building Capacity for Community Engaged Research: Penn State University’s Faculty Fellowship Program

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To build capacity for community engaged, translational research in faculty across the university. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Each year, the Community Engagement Research Core (CERC) of the Penn State CTSI invites applications for one to two Community Engagement Faculty Fellowships. Applicant teams are comprised of a junior or mid-level investigator seeking to expand their work into the CEnR arena under the mentorship of a senior investigator with expertise in community engaged scholarship. The fellow must develop a plan for the mentoring year, including a timeline, activities to be undertaken together, knowledge to be acquired, deliverables, and a budget. The funding supports two course releases or the clinical equivalent for the fellow, and a small budget to support the mentor’s research program. Proposals are evaluated using NIH scientific merit criteria. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We are in our second year of the fellowship program. Two highly qualified fellows are currently working with established community-based mentors. The 2017-2018 fellowship team showcases how an effective mentor-fellow partnership can help move a fellow’s work along the translational spectrum. By working with her mentor, our first fellow’s research has expanded from basic discovery science in a university hospital to development of a neonatal intensive care unit intervention to be employed with parents in the community. The 2018-2019 scholar, who utilized the community engagement research core (CERC) of the PSU CTSI in preparation of a PCORI grant, has since received the PCORI award and is working with her mentor to bring her innovative mental health screenings to the public schools. We are currently evaluating applications for the third year of the program, and please to have engaged applicants from across several Penn State campuses and disciplines. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The fellowship is enjoying early success in terms of fellow productivity, expanding translational research expertise, and fueling interest across the Penn State campuses in community engagement research. Future work will focus on sustainability planning for this type of program, metrics for tracking success, and plans for integrating fellows into a growing community of engaged scholars at the university.
Complications of Circumcision

Elective newborn circumcision remains a common and controversial practice. Increasingly, parents are faced with making this highly personal decision in a context of outspoken advocacy on both sides and few sources of unbiased guidance. The most widely recognized guidelines, the policy statement produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Circumcision, advocate that parents be informed of the relevant risks and benefits and then be allowed to choose within a context of medical, cultural, religious, and ethnic factors. However, how well equipped is the counseling physician to adequately inform the parents? In particular, how well do we understand the incidence of complications, their impact, treatment, or prevention?
Oxygen therapy in preterm infants with pulmonary hypertension.

Abstract Premature neonates 30–55 mm Hg promotes pulmonary vasodilation. Targeting saturations of 80–85% by 5 min, 85–95% by 10 min during resuscitation and 90–95% during the postnatal course are appropriate targets for routine management of preterm infants. Among preterm infants with PHT, avoiding hypoxia/hyperoxia by titrating supplemental oxygen to maintain saturations in low to mid 90s with alarm limits at 90 and 97% seems to be a reasonable approach pending further studies. Further high-quality evidence generated from randomized trials is required to guide oxygen therapy in preterm PHT.
Radar as a Security Measure - Real Time Neural Model based Human Detection and Behaviour Classification

Radar technology has great potential for use as security systems in college campuses with privacy advantages over its visual counterparts. We experimented with the Texas Instruments IWR1642 radar sensor to evaluate the feasibility of using radar systems for security monitoring. We introduce an end-to-end neural architecture which is capable of taking radar data inputs in real time and identify human versus nonhuman targets, and classify various human behavioral motions. The model is real time, robust to noise and displays state-of-the-art results for the problem.
Acute associations between PM2.5 and ozone concentrations and asthma exacerbations among patients with and without allergic comorbidities.

Acute effects of outdoor air pollution on asthma exacerbations may vary by asthma phenotype (allergic vs nonallergic). Associations of ambient PM2.5 and ozone concentrations with acute asthma visits (office, urgent, emergency, and hospitalization) were investigated using electronic medical records. International Classification of Disease codes were used to identify asthmatics, and classify them based on the presence or absence of an allergic comorbidity in their medical records. Daily 24-h average PM2.5, 8-h maximum ozone, and mean temperature were obtained from a centralized monitor. Using a time-stratified case-crossover approach, pollutant concentrations were modeled using moving averages and distributed lag nonlinear models (lag 0–6) to examine lag associations and nonlinear concentration–response. The adjusted odds ratios for a 10 µg/m3 increase in 3-day moving average (lag 0–2) PM2.5 in the two-pollutant models among patients with and without allergic comorbidities were 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07, 1.13) and 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.09), respectively; and for a 20 ppb increase in 3-day moving average (lag 0–2) ozone were 1.08 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.14) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.05), respectively. Estimated odds ratios among patients with allergic comorbidities were consistently higher across age, sex, and temperature categories. Asthmatics with an allergic comorbidity may be more susceptible to ambient PM2.5 and ozone.
Optimization Prior to Knee and Hip Arthroplasty as an Indication for Bariatric Surgery

For many patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis, non-operative management strategies fail to provide sufficient quality of life leading them to pursue joint replacement, also known as arthroplasty. Obesity, especially morbid obesity, is strongly associated with increased complications following arthroplasty and is increasingly considered a contraindication. This has spurred interest among orthopedic surgeons and patients in weight reduction strategies including bariatric surgery to reduce these risks. In this chapter, we systematically review the available literature regarding the association of pre-arthroplasty bariatric surgery with outcomes. There are no prospective studies and the retrospective studies that do exist are single institution reviews or large database studies limited by small sample sizes, an inability to select an ideal comparison group, and non-specific outcomes. This work has produced conflicting results with studies reporting pre-arthroplasty bariatric surgery is associated with both increased and decreased rates of medical complications as well as increased and decreased rates of surgical complications. It is currently not possible to recommend for or against bariatric surgery as a method of reducing the risk of complications following arthroplasty. For this reason, it is important that orthopedic surgeons and bariatric surgeons work together with patients to understand whether the other potential benefits of bariatric surgery justify the risks of this intervention.
Inequality Constraint Based Method for Fast Estimation of Droop-Slope Stability Regions for MMC-based MTDC Systems

This paper proposes an inequality constraints based method to efficiently and quickly estimate stability regions of droop control slopes for modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based multi-terminal dc (MTDC) systems. At first, a general small-signal model of the MMC-MTDC system is developed, which consists of the dc network and the MMCs with dq controllers and multiple droop controllers. When deriving corresponding nonlinear state-space models, the edge-node matrix is introduced for the dc network modeling with arbitrary gird topology and transmission line model. Then, based on the eigenvalue sensitivity and the Taylor Series of eigenvalues, a set of inequality constraints are proposed to expeditiously estimate the suprema of the droop slopes and identify the droop slope stability regions for the MMC-MTDC system. To verify the state-space model, a comparison of dynamic responses between the math model calculation in MATLAB and the EMT simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC is conducted, which demonstrates the accuracy and the correctness of the developed small-signal model. The effectiveness of the proposed parameter stability region estimation method is demonstrated by several examinations including the supremum tests of droop slopes, the stability region sketches on accuracy, and the predicted unstable operations in PSCAD/EMTDC.
Foraging and feeding are independently regulated by social and personal hunger in the clonal raider ant

Ant colonies must assess the internal states of their members and coordinate their responses to changes in state. One important example of this is the sensing of colony hunger and the regulation of foraging behavior. In many ant species, workers’ own nutritional states at least partially determine how much they forage, and poorly nourished workers usually forage more, while well-nourished workers remain inside the nest. Workers in some species, such as the clonal raider ant Ooceraea biroi, mostly forage in response to larval signals. Here, we ask whether O. biroi larvae directly affect worker nutrition, and whether nutritional states in turn regulate workers’ foraging and feeding behavior. We find that larval signals do not detectably influence workers’ nutritional states or feeding behavior. Unlike in most other ant species, however, when colonies forage in response to larval signals, better-nourished O. biroi workers forage more. This suggests evolutionary modifications to the nature and strength of the relationship between nutritional state and foraging behavior in some ants. Nonetheless, worker nutritional states regulate feeding behavior as expected, with workers eating in proportion to their level of food deprivation. We discuss the implications of these results for the life history of O. biroi and the evolution of foraging regulation in social insects more generally. We suggest that the decoupling of regulatory mechanisms for feeding and foraging has parallels in the evolutionary elaboration of animal multicellularity. Foraging in social insects is a cooperative behavior: workers forage for the colony, rather than just for themselves. In most species, workers primarily use their own hunger as proxies for the colony’s needs. However, some species use other sources of information. Clonal raider ants, for example, forage in response to signals from their larvae. Here, we ask whether they also forage when deprived of nutrition. Surprisingly, we find instead that they forage more when better fed, and that in unmanipulated colonies, larval signals override worker nutrition, suggesting that the regulation of foraging has been rewired in this species. We also find that workers feed in proportion to their nutrient deprivation, suggesting that the regulation of feeding has been conserved. We propose that the uncoupling of feeding and foraging machinery has parallels in the evolutionary elaboration of animal multicellularity.
Deep brain stimulation of midbrain locomotor circuits in the freely moving pig.

Abstract Background Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) has been studied as a therapeutic target in rodent models of stroke, parkinsonism, and spinal cord injury. Clinical DBS trials have targeted the closely related pedunculopontine nucleus in patients with Parkinson’s disease as a therapy for gait dysfunction, with mixed reported outcomes. Recent studies suggest that optimizing the MLR target could improve its effectiveness. Objective We sought to determine if stereotaxic targeting and DBS in the midbrain of the pig, in a region anatomically similar to that previously identified as the MLR in other species, could initiate and modulate ongoing locomotion, as a step towards generating a large animal neuromodulation model of gait. Methods We implanted Medtronic 3389 electrodes into putative MLR structures in Yucatan micropigs to characterize the locomotor effects of acute DBS in this region, using EMG recordings, joint kinematics, and speed measurements on a manual treadmill. Results MLR DBS initiated and augmented locomotion in freely moving micropigs. Effective locomotor sites centered around the cuneiform nucleus and stimulation frequency controlled locomotor speed and stepping frequency. Off-target stimulation evoked defensive and aversive behaviors that precluded locomotion in the animals. Conclusion Pigs appear to have an MLR and can be used to model neuromodulation of this gait-promoting center. These results indicate that the pig is a useful model to guide future clinical studies for optimizing MLR DBS in cases of gait deficiencies associated with such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, or stroke.
Colorectal Cancer and Return to Work: A Pilot Study of Recruiting Cancer Survivors and Their Employers.

Introduction In this study we assessed the feasibility of recruiting colorectal cancer survivors and their employers to participate in research on returning to work after a cancer diagnosis. Methods Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 6 survivors and 4 employers to collect feedback on 2 recruitment approaches: 1) an employee/cancer survivor-focused approach whereby researchers obtained employer contact information directly from survivors and 2) an employer-focused approach whereby researchers interviewed employers to identify pathways to recruiting survivor-supervisor dyads. Recordings of all interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Results Of the 6 survivor participants, 3 (50%) consented to follow up with their supervisors. One of the 3 supervisors responded but declined participation in the study. The 4 participating employers included 2 compensation/benefits managers and 2 human resources managers. Employers identified specific avenues for potential recruitment of survivor-supervisor dyads, including first obtaining organizational support for participating in this type of research. Discussion While challenges and opportunities exist with both the employee- and the employer-focused recruitment approaches, our findings suggest that an employer-focused approach, whereby researchers obtain organizational support for the research first, may be more promising for recruiting survivor-supervisor dyads to studies on cancer and employment. Results from this study underscore the importance of gaining support from all stakeholders-from administrators to employees who are cancer survivors. Conclusion Our study informs recruitment strategies that bring together cancer survivors and employers to improve our understanding of the barriers and facilitators of returning to work after cancer, in effort to develop interventions that mitigate employment challenges for cancer survivors.
Diabetes is associated with a lower minimum moment of inertia among older women: An analysis of 3D reconstructions of clinical CT scans.

Abstract Hip fractures are a significant burden on the aging population, often resulting in reduced mobility, loss of independence, and elevated risk of mortality. While fracture risk is generally inversely related to bone mineral density (BMD), people with diabetes suffer a higher fracture rate despite having a higher BMD. To better understand the connection between diabetes and fracture risk, we developed a method to measure the minimum moment of inertia (mMOI; a geometric factor associated with fracture risk) from clinical CT scans of the pelvis. Since hip fractures are more prevalent in women, we focused on females in this study. We hypothesized that females with diabetes would have a lower mMOI along the femoral neck than those without diabetes, indicative of a higher fracture risk. Three-dimensional models of each hip were created from clinical CT scans of 40 older women (27 with diabetes: 10 fracture/17 non-fractured; 13 without diabetes: non-fractured controls). The mMOI of each hip (n = 80) was reported as the average from three trials. People with diabetes had an 18% lower mMOI as compared to those without diabetes after adjusting for age and BMI (p = 0.02). No differences in the mMOIs between the fractured and contralateral hips in the diabetic group were observed (p = 0.78). Similarly, no differences were observed between the fractured and non-fractured hips of people with diabetes (p = 0.29) when accounting for age and BMI. This suggests structural differences in the hips of individuals with diabetes (measured by the mMOI) may be associated with their elevated fracture risk.
Modeling Patient-Reported Swallowing Outcomes With Dose to the Epiglottis.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Swallowing is a complex physiologic function and care is needed for its preservation when head and neck (HN) cancer patients receive radiation therapy. The larynx, and especially the epiglottis, is one involved organ. This study's purpose was to investigate whether radiation dose to the epiglottis is more predictive of acute swallowing toxicity than dose to the rest of the larynx or the total larynx. MATERIALS/METHODS A cohort of 91 HN patients with no prior HN radiation treated at a single institution form 2013-2020 with either protons or photons was studied retrospectively. Patients were selected based on primary-site diagnosis code (nasopharynx, oropharynx, tonsil, and base of tongue) and prescription dose (≥60 Gy). Swallowing outcomes were assessed with patient-reported outcomes (PROs), using the EORTC QLQ HN the three substructures were then combined for a total larynx structure. 16 patients with either a larynx disfigured by their disease or high baseline swallowing score were removed from the analysis. A univariate analysis was first performed using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test on the mean doses to the epiglottis, total larynx, and non-epiglottic larynx structures. Next, a random-forest (RF) machine-learning model was trained using 29 patient-specific features with demographic and clinical information (including primary site, chemotherapy, smoking, bi-/unilateral, and HPV/p16), baseline PRO scores, and dose metrics to the total larynx and epiglottis. The model was trained on a 60-patient training set using nested 10-fold cross-validation and then assessed on a 15-patient test set using the area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC). RESULTS The univariate analyses for the total and non-epiglottic larynx mean doses showed no statistical differences between the two groups (P = 0.56 and 0.86, respectively). That of the epiglottic mean dose, however, showed a significant difference (P = 0.026) with 39.2 [32.7-52.9] Gy and 47.2 [41.1-57.2] Gy for the low- and high-response groups, respectively. The RF had AUC = 0.71 ± 0.22 and 0.70 on the training and test sets, respectively, with the epiglottis volume receiving 30 Gy identified as the most important feature. CONCLUSION The univariate analysis and RF model indicate that the dose to the epiglottis is more sensitive for predicting patient-reported acute swallowing toxicity than either the doses to the rest of the larynx or the full larynx. These results suggest that consideration be given to the epiglottic dose during treatment planning.