cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multivariate statistical analysis of diffusion imaging parameters using partial least squares: Application to white matter variations in Alzheimer's disease

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is a unique technology that allows the noninvasive quantification of microstructural tissue properties of the human brain in healthy subjects as well as the probing of disease-induced variations. Population studies of dMRI data have been essential in identifying pathological structural changes in various conditions, such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases (Salat et al., 2010; Rosas et al., 2006). The most common form of dMRI involves fitting a tensor to the underlying imaging data (known as diffusion tensor imaging, or DTI), then deriving parametric maps, each quantifying a different aspect of the underlying microstructure, e.g. fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. To date, the statistical methods utilized in most DTI population studies either analyzed only one such map or analyzed several of them, each in isolation. However, it is most likely that variations in the microstructure due to pathology or normal variability would affect several parameters simultaneously, with differing variations modulating the various parameters to differing degrees. Therefore, joint analysis of the available diffusion maps can be more powerful in characterizing histopathology and distinguishing between conditions than the widely used univariate analysis. In this article, we propose a multivariate approach for statistical analysis of diffusion parameters that uses partial least squares correlation (PLSC) analysis and permutation testing as building blocks in a voxel-wise fashion. Stemming from the common formulation, we present three different multivariate procedures for group analysis, regressing-out nuisance parameters and comparing effects of different conditions. We used the proposed procedures to study the effects of non-demented aging, Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment on the white matter. Here, we present results demonstrating that the proposed PLSC-based approach can differentiate between effects of different conditions in the same region as well as uncover spatial variations of effects across the white matter. The proposed procedures were able to answer questions on structural variations such as: "are there regions in the white matter where Alzheimer's disease has a different effect than aging or similar effect as aging?" and "are there regions in the white matter that are affected by both mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease but with differing multivariate effects?"
Exploring Showrooming Experiences at Small Retailers

The term “showrooming” refers to a situation in which an individual consumes the services of a full-service retailer and then uses the knowledge and services gained from that retailer to make a purchase from a limited-service retailer, which often boasts lower prices (Singley and Williams 1995). The phenomenon of showrooming is increasingly becoming a problem for brick-and-mortar retailers as consumers are using traditional retailers as “showrooms” for products, gathering information about products at a retailer, and then ultimately purchasing the item from an online retailer at a discounted price. This behavior is not new; however, the ease of comparing prices and ordering products online from home or via mobile technology has caused a sharp increase in showrooming recently, with as many as 50 % of online shoppers stating that they first viewed products in a brick-and-mortar retailer before making their online purchase (Zimmerman 2012).
Towards Big Data-Driven Human Mobility Patterns and Models

In the big data era,massive volumes of individual-level movements,extracted from various geospatial data,including mobile phone data,public transportation card records,social media check-in data,taxi trajectories,and bank card records,are available for scholars in different fields to study human mobility patterns.These studies enrich spatio-temporal analysis methods in GIS and provide a new perspective to human-environment interactions.Observed human mobility patterns and models can be applied to many applications such as transportation and public health.This paper presents a generic workflow for big-data-driven human mobility analyses and summaries major movement measures.By comparing a number of models used to interpret and reproduce the observed pattern,this paper emphasizes the geographical impact on human mobility patterns.
Robust Stochastic Performance Optimization

The problem of finding the controller that optimizes the expected H2-norm of an uncertain system is solved in closed form for a class of problems including such signal processing applications as feedforward design, channel equalization, noise cancellation etc. The method uses covariance information on model uncertainty and does therefore match information obtainable from standard system identification. The optimal controller is found by using a spectral factorization to rewrite the problem as an H2-problem for an extended system. The article puts a restrictions on where uncertain parameters enter. The need for hard bounds on parameters can then be avoided. The method also avoids the conservativeness related to designing for worst cases.
Blood Conservation in the Critically Ill

The insertion of arterial lines has become a routine procedure for the critically ill. Valuable patient data can be obtained from the arterial line, nursing and laboratory personnel time can be saved, and patient discomfort can be minimized. However, increased blood loss is incurred and may result in nosocomial anemia. This blood loss can be sharply reduced by heightened staff awareness, use of tubing that eliminates the need for discard, and drawing only the volume necessary for laboratory testing. Bedside microchemistry and protocols for obtaining a laboratory test may further decrease blood loss and eliminate the need for blood transfusions to replace iatrogenic blood loss.
Rational Design of Multilayer Collagen Nanosheets with Compositional and Structural Control

Two collagen-mimetic peptides, CP+ and CP–, are reported in which the sequences comprise a multiblock architecture having positively charged N-terminal (Pro-Arg-Gly)3 and negatively charged C-terminal (Glu-Hyp-Gly)3 triad extensions, respectively. CP+ rapidly self-associates into positively charged nanosheets based on a monolayer structure. In contrast, CP– self-assembles to form negatively charged monolayer nanosheets at a much slower rate, which can be accelerated in the presence of calcium(II) ion. A 2:1 mixture of unassociated CP– peptide with preformed CP+ nanosheets generates structurally defined triple-layer nanosheets in which two CP– monolayers have formed on the identical surfaces of the CP+ nanosheet template. Experimental data from electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) image analysis, zeta potential measurements, and charged nanoparticle binding assays support a negative surface charge state for the triple-layer nanosheets, which is the reverse of the positive surface charge state observed for ...
Association Between Absolute Neutrophil Count and Variation at TCIRG1: The NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project

Neutrophils are a key component of innate immunity. Individuals with low neutrophil count are susceptible to frequent infections. Linkage and association between congenital neutropenia and a single rare missense variant in TCIRG1 have been reported in a single family. Here, we report on nine rare missense variants at evolutionarily conserved sites in TCIRG1 that are associated with lower absolute neutrophil count (ANC; p = 0.005) in 1,058 participants from three cohorts: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC), Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), and Jackson Heart Study (JHS) of the NHLBI Grand Opportunity Exome Sequencing Project (GO ESP). These results validate the effects of TCIRG1 coding variation on ANC and suggest that this gene may be associated with a spectrum of mild to severe effects on ANC.
How nonimaging optics began

Classical optics was traditionally the mapping of point sources by lenses, mirrors and occasionally holograms , i.e. making an image. The subject has had many famous scientists associated with it; Fermat, Huygens, Descartes, Hamilton just to name a few. By the mid 20th Century it was a well-developed field as exemplified by such luminaries as Walter T. Welford, Emil Wolf and many others. The theory of aberrations which addresses the imperfections of the mapping codified the state of the art. Then arose the need to collect energy, not just images. To the author’s knowledge it can be traced back to WWII Germany with collection of infra-red radiation (the work by D. E. Williamson, was not published until 1952). The radiation collector, a simple right-circular cone, was a harbinger of things to come.
Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy in Treated Retinoblastoma.

Objective To evaluate the clinical and histopathologic characteristics of patients who develop proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) after retinoblastoma treatment. Design Retrospective review of 3 cases of PVR that developed after successful treatment of retinoblastoma from 2003 to 2015. Subjects Three patients with treated retinoblastoma who developed severe PVR and required enucleation. Methods Review of clinical charts, fundus drawings, Ret-Cam 3 images, and histopathology specimens. Main Outcome Measures Clinical and histopathologic characterization of PVR in treated retinoblastoma. Results Three patients developed severe PVR after sequential thermal laser combined with systemic chemotherapy for retinoblastoma. At presentation patients were 6, 7, and 9 months of age, and all had bilateral retinoblastoma. Time to development of proliferative tissue was 9, 12, and 20 months after initial treatment. Proliferation was characterized by progressive growth of white vascularized tissue with associated traction on the retina and sometimes hemorrhage. All patients underwent enucleation. Histopathologic evaluation revealed treated retinoblastoma tumor with a type 3 regression pattern, preretinal and subretinal fibrovascular tissue consistent with PVR, and reactive changes in the retinal pigment epithelium. None of the patients developed recurrence of retinoblastoma or systemic metastasis. Conclusion PVR uncommonly develops after successful treatment of retinoblastoma and may result in traction or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment along with vitreous hemorrhage. Early stages of proliferation may be difficult to distinguish from recurrent tumor. Enucleation may be required owing to poor vision and inability to adequately monitor for tumor recurrence.
Analysis of Mercury Content in Canned Tuna Fish Commercially Available in the Philippines

Objective: To analyze the total concentration (in mg/kg) of Mercury in Canned Tuna Fish commercially available in the Philippines, using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CVAAS) and to compare the results gathered with permissible FAO/WHO levels. Background: The levels of the toxic heavy metal, mercury have not been previously determined in canned Tuna commercially available in the Philippines. Methods: Six different brands of canned tuna, commercially and widely available in the Philippines were selected. The samples were primed, then analyzed using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The values obtained were then compared the tolerable weekly limit of Mercury as set by WHO. Results: Of the six canned tuna, all were tested positive for mercury. The mercury content expressed in mg/kg body weight were 0.10, 0.04, 0.06, 0.02, 0.02, and 0.02, for samples A, B, C, D, E and F respectively. The Provisional Tolerable Weekly intake of total mercury is 0.004 mg/kg, as set by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives [1]. The recovered mercury from all the canned tunas tested were well above the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake of total Mercury [1]. Conclusion: All of the 6 cans of tuna samples tested were positive for mercury well above the permissible FAO/WHO levels for mercury. Therefore, the analysis of the canned tuna is considered significant and the canned tuna fish seem to be unsafe for human consumption.
Developing Force Fields for the Accurate Simulation of Both Ordered and Disordered Protein States

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation can serve as a valuable complementary tool to experiments in characterizing the structural and dynamic properties of ordered and disordered proteins. The utility of MD simulation depends, however, on the accuracy of the underlying physical models (“force fields”). We present here an extensive benchmark study to systematically assess the ability of commonly used MD force fields to reproduce NMR, SAXS, and FRET data for a number of ordered and disordered proteins. We found that, while the properties of folded proteins are generally well described in simulation, large discrepancies exist between simulation and experiment for disordered proteins, which is significant given that a large fraction of proteins are partially or completely disordered under physiological conditions. We subsequently developed a new water model, TIP4P-D, that better balances electrostatic and dispersion interactions, resulting in significantly improved accuracy in the description of disordered states, but slightly degraded results for ordered proteins. Guided by experimental measurements from folded proteins, fast-folding proteins, weakly structured peptides, and disordered proteins, we are further optimizing force fields to more accurately simulate proteins across the order-to-disorder spectrum.
Validation of a hand-held point of care device for lactate in adult and pediatric patients using traditional and locally-smoothed median and maximum absolute difference curves

Abstract Background Lactate is commonly used in septic patients and is a viable biomarker for trauma patients. Its pre-hospital use could assist triaging and managing patients with these conditions. Methods We evaluated the analytical performance of the point-of-care (POC) StatStrip Xpress Lactate Meter (Nova Biomedical) and compared it to the ABL 800 (Radiometer). We measured lactate in 250 adult and 250 pediatric whole blood samples in 2 laboratories. The performance of the POC meter was assessed by traditional linear regression and Bland-Altman plots, and locally-smoothed (LS) median absolute difference and maximum absolute difference (MAD and MaxAD) curves. Results The StatStrip was linear with acceptable reproducibility at clinically relevant concentrations. Correlation with the ABL800 showed a negative bias for both populations with slope, bias ± SD (% bias) of 0.78, − 0.4 ± 0.7 (− 14.5%) in children and 0.80–0.3 ± 0.6 (− 13.3%) in adults. The proportional bias appeared more significant at concentrations > 4 mmol/l (36.0 mg/dl). The StatStrip misclassified 7.6 and 8.8% pediatric and adult samples, respectively, to lower risk categories defined using guidelines driven cut-offs. The LS MAD curves identified one breakout, concentration where the LS MAD exceeds the total allowable error limit of 0.3 mmol/l (2.7 mg/dl), at lactate concentrations of 3.8 and 3.2 mmol/l (34.2 and 28.8 mg/dl) in the pediatric and adult curves, respectively. Breakthroughs, points at which the LS MaxAD curve exceeds the 95th percentile of MaxADs, occur at concentrations above 7.5 mmol/l (67.6 mg/dl) for both populations where the performance of the POC meter became erratic. We concluded that if serial lactate measurements are performed, the same method should be used for baseline and follow up measurements. The LS MAD and LS MaxAD curves allowed visual and quantitative mapping of the performance of the lactate POC meter over the range of concentrations measured. Conclusions This approach seems useful for the identification of points at which the performance of a POC meter differs significantly from a comparison method and thresholds of poor analytical performance.
Optical interference probe of biofilm hydrology: label-free characterization of the dynamic hydration behavior of native biofilms.

Biofilm produced by Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) on quartz or polystyrene is removed from the culture medium and drained. Observed optical interference fringes indicate the presence of a layer of uniform thickness with refractive index different from air-dried biofilm. Fringe wavelengths indicate that layer optical thickness is <20 μm or 1 to 2 orders of magnitude thinner than the biofilm as measured by confocal Raman microscopy or fluorescence imaging of the bacteria. Raman shows that films have an alginate-like carbohydrate composition. Fringe amplitudes indicate that the refractive index of the interfering layer is higher than dry alginate. Drying and rehydration nondestructively thins and restores the interfering layer. The strength of the 1451-nm near infrared water absorption varies in unison with thickness. Absorption and layer thickness are proportional for films with different bacteria, substrates, and growth conditions. Formation of the interfering layer is general, possibly depending more on the chemical nature of alginate-like materials than bacterial processes. Films grown during the exponential growth phase produce no observable interference fringes, indicating requirements for layer formation are not met, possibly reflecting bacterial activities at that stage. The interfering layer might provide a protective environment for bacteria when water is scarce.
Malt Liquor Beer Related Knowledge, Influences, and Drinking Styles Among an Inner City Sample of African American Men

African Americans are only 14 percent of the U.S. population but consume 30 percent of all malt liquor beer (MLB). MLB typically has 1.5 times the alcohol content of regular beer and is disproportionately marketed to African Americans. Despite this fact, patterns of high alcohol content beverage consumption among African Americans have had little empirical investigation. This study seeks to determine the frequency of MLB drinking, influences associated with MLB use, and MLB knowledge among 150 African American men chosen from randomly selected barbershops. Results of this study support the hypothesis that infrequent heavier drinkers prefer the larger container sizes although they are unclear about the intoxication power of MLB. Factors influencing MLB consumption also varied by drinking style. Moderate MLB drinkers were more influenced by billboard ads than both heavy and vety heavy MLB drinkers.
Structural Stability of the Coiled-Coil Domain of Tumor Susceptibility Gene (TSG)-101.

The tumor susceptibility gene-101 coiled coil domain (TSG101cc) is an integral component of the endosomal maturation machinery and cytokinesis, and also interacts with several transcription factors. The TSG101cc has been crystallized as a homotetramer but is known to interact with two of its binding partners as a heterotrimer. To investigate this apparent discrepancy, we examined the solution thermodynamics of the TSG101cc. Here, we use circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, fluorescence, and structural thermodynamic analysis to investigate the structural stability and the unfolding of the TSG101cc. We demonstrate that TSG101cc exists in solution primarily as a tetramer, which unfolds in a two-state manner. Surprisingly, no homodimeric or homotrimeric species were detected. Structural thermodynamic analysis of the homotetrameric structure and comparison with known oligomeric coiled-coils suggests that the TSG101cc homotetramer is comparatively unstable on a ...
The Determinants of Human Trafficking in the European Union

ABSTRACTHuman trafficking affects an estimated 27 million people worldwide. We use a recently available European Union longitudinal cross-national data set to determine the factors that affect the rate of trafficking in a nation, employing a model of the number of people a trafficker would offer to those that would purchase the victims. We find that higher rates of trafficking are predicted in nations where immigrants are a larger share of the population, there is access to the sea, the level of GDP per capita is low, and the level of unemployment low. Controlling for these factors, in terms of policy, we find that legalized prostitution increases the rate of human trafficking.
Flash autoclave settings may influence eradication but not presence of well‐established biofilms on orthopaedic implant material

Flash autoclaving is one of the most frequently utilized methods of sterilizing devices, implants or other materials. For a number of decades, it has been common practice for surgeons to remove implantable devices, flash autoclave and then reimplant them in a patient. Data have not yet indicated the potential for biofilms to survive or remain on the surface of orthopaedic-relevant materials following flash autoclave. In this study, monomicrobial and polymicrobial biofilms were grown on the surface of clinically relevant titanium materials and exposed to flash autoclave settings that included varying times and temperatures. Data indicated that when the sterilization and control temperatures of an autoclave were the same, biofilms were able to survive flash autoclaving that was performed for a short duration. Higher temperature and increased duration rendered biofilms non-viable, but none of the autoclave settings had the ability to remove or disperse the presence of biofilms from the titanium surfaces. These findings may be beneficial for facilities, clinics, or hospitals to consider if biofilms are suspected to be present on materials or devices, in particular implants that have had associated infection and are considered for re-implantation. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1543-1550, 2018.
An Intergroup Randomized Phase II Study of Bevacizumab or Cetuximab in Combination with Gemcitabine and in Combination with Chemoradiation in Patients with Resected Pancreatic Carcinoma: A Trial of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (E2204)

Objectives: Evaluate toxicity of two treatment arms, A (cetuximab) and B (bevacizumab), when combined with gemcitabine, and chemoradiation in patients with completely resected pancreatic carcinoma. Secondary objectives included overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Methods: Patients with R0/R1 resection were randomized 1:1 to cetuximab or bevacizumab administered in combination with gemcitabine for two treatment cycles. Next three cycles included concurrent cetuximab/bevacizumab plus chemoradiation, followed by one cycle of cetuximab/bevacizumab. Cycles 7-12 included cetuximab/bevacizumab with gemcitabine. Cycles were 2 weeks. Frequency of specific toxicities was summarized for each treatment arm at two times during the study, after chemotherapy but prior to chemoradiation and after all therapy. Results: A total of 127 patients were randomized (A, n = 65; B, n = 62). Prior to chemoradiation, the overall rate for toxicities of interest was 10% for arm A and 2% for arm B. After all therapy, the overall rates for toxicities of interest were 30 and 25% for arms A and B, respectively. Overall median OS and DFS were 17 and 11 months, respectively, which is not a significant improvement over expected survival rates for historical controls. Conclusions: Both treatments were tolerable with manageable toxicities, and were safe enough for a phase III trial had this been indicated.
Web Exclusives. Annals Consult Guys - Fasting Before Anesthesia: A Cappucino On Call?

Howard and Geno (the Consult Guys) help decide whether a procedure requiring anesthesia may proceed after a patient drank a cappuccino.
A glove-based system for studying hand-object manipulation via joint pose and force sensing

We present a design of an easy-to-replicate glove-based system that can reliably perform simultaneous hand pose and force sensing in real time, for the purpose of collecting human hand data during fine manipulative actions. The design consists of a sensory glove that is capable of jointly collecting data of finger poses, hand poses, as well as forces on palm and each phalanx. Specifically, the sensory glove employs a network of 15 IMUs to measure the rotations between individual phalanxes. Hand pose is then reconstructed using forward kinematics. Contact forces on the palm and each phalanx are measured by 6 customized force sensors made from Velostat, a piezoresistive material whose force-voltage relation is investigated. We further develop an open-source software pipeline consisting of drivers and processing code and a system for visualizing hand actions that is compatible with the popular Raspberry Pi architecture. In our experiment, we conduct a series of evaluations that quantitatively characterize both individual sensors and the overall system, proving the effectiveness of the proposed design.
Exploring the Neural Bases of Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Case Study Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Summary Primary muscle tension dysphonia (pMTD) is a voice disorder that occurs in the absence of laryngeal pathology. Dysregulated activity of the paralaryngeal muscles is considered the proximal cause; however, the central origin of this aberrant laryngeal muscle activation is unclear. The Trait Theory (Roy and Bless, 2000a,b) proposed that specific personality traits can predispose one to laryngeal motor inhibition and pMTD, and this inhibition is mediated by a hyperactive “behavioral inhibition system (BIS)” composed of limbic system structures (and associated prefrontal connections). This case study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain activation changes associated with successful management of pMTD, thereby evaluating possible neural correlates of this poorly understood disorder. Method A 61-year-old woman with moderate-to-severe pMTD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans before and immediately after successful treatment using manual circumlaryngeal techniques. Experimental stimuli were blocks of repeated vowel production and overt sentence reading. Results Significantly greater activation was observed pre- versus posttreatment in all regions of interest during sentence production, that is, periaqueductal gray, amygdala, hypothalamus, anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, Brodmann area 10, and premotor and inferior sensorimotor cortex. Conclusions Our findings are compatible with overactivation of neural regions associated with the BIS (cingulate cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray) and motor inhibition networks (eg, [pre-]supplementary motor area) along with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial prefrontal cortex. Heightened input from limbic regions combined with dysfunctional prefrontal regulation may interfere with laryngeal motor preparation, initiation, and execution thereby contributing to disordered voice in pMTD.
Gender Representation in Russian Academic Journals

Olga Krasnyak – PhD in History, a Lecturer in International Studies, Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Еmail: olga.k@yonsei.ac.kr DOI: 10.17323/727-0634-2017-15-4-617-628 Representation of women in academic outputs is an important indicator of a country’s gender equality. Starting in the 1950s, extensive scientific growth in the Soviet Union came with the establishment of a large number of academic institutions and journals. However, this massive rise in academic production has not been accompanied by an increase in equality between women and men in terms of publications; the sciences and the humanities remain dominated by men. This study focuses on gender disparity in domestic academic productivity. The availability of online archives and a long history of publications were crucial factors in choosing specific journals for this study. Collected data include the output statistics of the following journals: for humanities, Questions of History (1955–2013) and Russian Literature (1958–2014); for sciences, Acoustical Physics (1955–2014), Mathematical Notes (1967–2014), and Biomedical Chemistry (1956–2014). In addition, a list of publications of the journal Questions of Psychology available in the period between 1980 and 1999 was also taken into account. The data show the percentage of female academic outputs and its changes through the decades, taking into account the socioeconomic, political, and historical background. A brief analysis of the scientific productivity reveals underrepresentation of women authored publications in mathematics (7 %), physics (11 %), and history (15 %). On the other hand, psychology (40 %), biochemistry (39 %), and literature (28 %) show better rates of gender equality. The article provides an explanation of this phenomena. During decades, a slight increase of women authored outputs gradually occurred in every scientific discipline, although this share was still low overall. The outcomes were compared with gender representation in sciences and humanities in other countries, which allows the conclusion that gender disparity in terms of the academic output in analysed Russian journals is not unique but follows global trends.
Evidence for Coupling of the Carbon and Phosphorus Biogeochemical Cycles in Freshwater Microbial Communities

Considerable attention has been given to the roles of the carbon and phosphate cycles in aquatic environments, but less attention has been given to an experimental analysis of the coupling of the C and P cycles in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Using laboratory microcosm experiments, prepared with natural pond-water microbial communities, evidence is presented for the coupling of dissolved organic C with microbial production of alkaline phosphatase driving the phosphorus cycle in freshwater microbial communities. The effects of glucose C-supplementation in microcosm microbial communities (including bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates) on gains in microbial C-content and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) were estimated in relation to control microcosms without C-supplementation. The C-supplementation increased total microbial APA (pmol min-1 µg-1 bacterial C) in the C-supplemented treatment (6.5 ± 0.6) compared to the non-supplemented cultures (5.1 ± 1.7). Microbial-bound APA in the C-supplemented treatment was particularly enhanced (4.4 ± 0.9) compared to control cultures (1.3 ± 0.8), but the amount of free (soluble) APA in the aquatic phase was less compared to the controls (n = 5, p < 0.001). Alkaline phosphatase activity was highly correlated (r = 0.97) with bacterial densities in the C-supplemented cultures, further supporting the hypothesis that C-supplementation can increase phosphorus remineralization through elevated production of microbial alkaline phosphatase. This laboratory-based, experimental study suggests that additional research on the coupling of the C and P cycles in freshwater and marine environments may yield productive insights into the finer details of the roles of these two biogeochemical cycles in aquatic microbial community dynamics.
Implementing a software development production environment for student use: advantages and challenges

Providing real world experience is often cited as a way to enrich the computer science curriculum. While logistics often make this difficult, it is vitally important for students to be exposed to and experiment with tools used in commercial software development environments. This paper provides an overview of the implementation of a professional software development environment used to support student programming projects. The environment was built using a collection of open-source applications that provide a standardized platform for code development, a version control system, and a task assignment and issues tracking system. The production environment has been well-received and has created a venue for providing consistent high quality real-world types of experiences for students.
Stochastic analysis of Marotzke and Stone climate model

A deterministic analysis of an atmosphere-ocean coupled model is completed. A stochastic model is then created using the deterministic model with an imbedded Markov chain. An analysis of the stochastic model is then concluded.
An approximate Jacobian nonlinear solver for multiphase flow and transport

Abstract We present an approximate Jacobian approach for solving nonlinear, multiphase flow and transport problems in porous media. A backward Euler time discretization scheme is used prior to spatial discretization with a lowest order mixed finite element method (MFEM). This results in a fully implicit nonlinear algebraic system of equations. Conventionally, an exact Jacobian construction is employed during the Newton linearization to obtain a linear system of equations after spatial and temporal discretization. This fully coupled, monolithic linear system, usually in pressure and saturation (or concentration) unknowns, requires specialized preconditioners such as constrained pressure residual (CPR) or two stage preconditioner. These preconditioners operate on the linear system to decouple pressure and saturation (or concentration) degrees of freedom (DOF) in order to use existing linear solvers for positive definite (PD) matrices such as GMRES or AMG, to name a few. In this work, we present an alternative to two-stage preconditioning (or CPR) for solving the aforementioned monolithic system after Newton linearization. This approach relies upon a decoupling approximation for the pressure-saturation (or concentration) block sub-matrices, during Newton linearization, to obtain block diagonal sub-matrices. The resulting linear system is easily reduced, trivially eliminating these diagonal sub-matrices, to obtain a system in pressure DOF circumventing the need for specialized preconditioners. Further, the linear system has lesser DOF owing to the elimination of saturation (or concentration) unknowns. This nonlinear solver is demonstrated to be as accurate as the exact Jacobian approach, measured in terms of convergence of nonlinear residual to a desired tolerance for both methods. Our numerical results indicate a consistent computational speedup by a factor of approximately 1.32 to 4.0 for the two-phase flow model formulation under consideration. This is related to the DOF of the linear systems for the approximate and exact Jacobian approaches. For multicomponent flow and transport, this speedup is expected to be directly proportional to the number of concentration degrees of freedom. A number of field scale numerical simulations are also presented to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach for realistic problems.
Upper esophageal sphincter metrics on high-resolution manometry differentiate etiologies of esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction.

BACKGROUND Upper esophageal sphincter (UES) metrics on high-resolution manometry (HRM), particularly nadir UES residual pressure (UES-RP), are abnormal in achalasia and may help characterize the underlying mechanism or predict management outcome in esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO). METHODS A database of consecutive patients undergoing esophageal HRM from 2008 to 2013 yielded 134 patients (59.8 ± 1.4 years, 68% F) with EGJOO. Final clinical diagnoses and treatment response were extracted from chart review. Esophageal body, UES, and lower esophageal sphincter (LES) metrics were compared between EGJOO and asymptomatic healthy controls (n = 16, 27.7 ± 0.7 years, 56% F). Logistic regression evaluated differences between HRM metrics amongst etiologies of EGJOO grouped into motor versus mechanical disorders. KEY RESULTS Distal contractile integral, distal latency, and nadir UES-RP were significantly different between EGJOO subgroups (P ≤ 0.01 for each comparison), but only nadir UES-RP remained independently predictive of subgroups (adjusted odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence intervals 1.05-1.27, P < 0.01). Nadir UES-RP was highest in achalasia variants, and lowest in mechanical EGJOO and controls (P < 0.001). Of 19 patients who underwent LES myotomy, durable benefit was reported by 68.4% over mean 3.6 years of follow-up. Significantly higher nadir UES-RP was noted with symptom relief (3.4 vs -0.7 mm Hg with symptom recurrence, 95% confidence intervals of difference = 1.35-6.83). A threshold UES-RP of ≥2.0 mm Hg yielded a sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 83.3% in predicting symptom resolution following myotomy. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES Nadir UES-RP offers clues to differentiation of subtypes within EGJOO and may predict symptom outcome from myotomy.
Advancing pharmacy technician training and practice models in the United States: Historical perspectives, workforce development needs, and future opportunities

The United States healthcare system faces immense challenges related to cost, quality, and access. As the pharmacy profession addresses these challenges by shifting toward a practice model centered around direct patient care clinical services, a competent and capable technician workforce is needed to support the roles of pharmacists. Until recently, little focus has been paid to pharmacy technicians or their role as they relate to practice model change. With ongoing pharmacist practice transformation, an approach that ensures uniform technician education, training, registration, and certification is vital to support a practice model designed to transform medication management across the continuum of care. The purpose of this commentary is three-fold: to review the history of pharmacy technician training and practice, discuss current and future technician practice models, and examine workforce development implications.
A Super-Resolution Mixed-Signal Doherty Power Amplifier for Simultaneous Linearity and Efficiency Enhancement

This article presents a mixed-signal Doherty power amplifier (MSDPA) architecture for simultaneous linearity and efficiency enhancement. The MSDPA comprises one analog power amplifier (PA) as the main PA and one binary-weighted digital PA as the auxiliary PA. The MSDPA input is a generic envelope-varying complex-modulated signal. Based on the real-time amplitude-modulated (AM) envelope, auxiliary digital PA weightings are dynamically turned-on to perform optimum Doherty load modulation for superior linearity and back-off efficiency. Moreover, quantization noise is largely suppressed by the mixed-signal Doherty operation and nonuniform quantization (NUQ), while spectral images are substantially reduced by the quasi-first-order hold (quasi-FOH) operation, which together achieves super-resolution over conventional digital PAs; this makes the MSDPA conducive to millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) or compound PA designs by obviating the need for a large effective number of bits (ENOB) on AM digital controls. As a proof of concept, a 3-bit MSDPA is implemented at 27 GHz in a 45-nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS process. The prototype PA achieves 40.1% peak power-added efficiency (PAE), 23.3-dBm saturated output power ( $P_{\mathrm {sat}}$ ), and 39.4% PAE for 22.4-dBm $P_{1\mathrm {dB}}$ at 27 GHz in continuous-wave (CW) measurements. The PAE at 6-dB power back-off (PBO) is 33.1%, which corresponds to a 1.68 $\times $ improvement over a normalized Class-B PA. With only three control bits, the MSDPA PA supports a 12-Gb/s 64-QAM signal at −24.5-dB rms error vector magnitude (EVM) and average $P_{\mathrm {out}}$ /PAE of +15.6 dBm/27.8% without digital pre-distortion (DPD).
Use of a paired‐stimulus demand analysis to evaluate demands for inclusion in functional analyses

Clinicians regularly use both indirect and direct assessments to identify preferred stimuli to include in control conditions and positive reinforcement test conditions in a functional analysis (FA). However, clinicians often rely on indirect assessment alone (e.g., caregiver report) to identify aversive stimuli to include in negative reinforcement test conditions. In this study, we evaluate a paired-stimulus demand analysis and validate assessment results via FA. Results indicate that, for all 4 participants, the demands selected least often evoked higher rates of destructive behavior than more frequently selected demands. We identified an escape function for all 4 participants in the escape-least selected (LS) condition (true positive finding) and for only 1 participant in the escape-most selected (MS) condition (false negative finding for 3 of 4 participants). These results support the utility of empirically deriving stimuli for inclusion in the negative reinforcement test condition of an FA to decrease the likelihood of false negative findings.
Differential gene expression changes in the dorsal root versus trigeminal ganglia following peripheral nerve injury in rats.

Background The dorsal root (DRG) and trigeminal (TG) ganglia contain cell bodies of sensory neurons of spinal and trigeminal systems, respectively. They are homologs of each other; however, differences in how the two systems respond to injury exist. Trigeminal nerve injuries rarely result in chronic neuropathic pain (NP). To date, no genes involved in the differential response to nerve injury between the two systems have been identified. We examined transcriptional changes involved in the development of trigeminal and spinal NP. Methods Trigeminal and spinal mononueropathies were induced by chronic constriction injury to the infraorbital or sciatic nerve. Expression levels of 84 genes in the TG and DRG at 4, 8 and 21 days post-injury were measured using real-time PCR. Results We found time-dependent and ganglion-specific transcriptional regulation that may contribute to the development of corresponding neuropathies. Among genes significantly regulated in both ganglia Cnr2, Grm5, Htr1a, Il10, Oprd1, Pdyn, Prok2 and Tacr1 were up-regulated in the TG but down-regulated in the DRG at 4 days post-injury; at 21 days post-injury, Adora1, Cd200, Comt, Maob, Mapk3, P2rx4, Ptger1, Tnf and Slc6a2 were significantly up-regulated in the TG but down-regulated in the DRG. Conclusions Our findings suggest that spinal and trigeminal neuropathies due to trauma are differentially regulated. Subtle but important differences between the two ganglia may affect NP development. Significance We present distinct transcriptional alterations in the TG and DRG that may contribute to differences observed in the corresponding mononeuropathies. Since the trigeminal system seems more resistant to developing NP following trauma our findings lay ground for future research to detect genes and pathways that may act in a protective or facilitatory manner. These may be novel and important therapeutic targets.
Expulsion of intrauterine devices after postpartum placement by timing of placement, delivery type, and intrauterine device type: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives To provide updated and more detailed pooled intrauterine device expulsion rates and expulsion risk estimates among women with postpartum intrauterine device placement by timing of insertion, delivery type, and intrauterine device type to inform current intrauterine device insertion practices in the United States. Data Sources We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov through June 2019. Study Eligibility Criteria We included all studies, of any study design, that examined postpartum placement of Copper T380A (copper) or levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine devices that reported counts of expulsion. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods We evaluated intrauterine device expulsion among women receiving postpartum intrauterine devices in the “immediate” (within 10 minutes), “early inpatient” (>10 minutes to Results We identified 48 level I to II-3 studies of poor to good quality that reported a total of 7661 intrauterine device placements. Complete intrauterine device expulsion rates varied by timing of placement as follows: 10.2% (range, 0.0−26.7) for immediate; 13.2% (3.5−46.7) for early inpatient; 0% for early outpatient; and 1.8% (0.0−4.8) for interval placements. Complete intrauterine device expulsion rates also varied by delivery type: 14.8% (range, 4.8−43.1) for vaginal and 3.8% (0.0−21.1) for cesarean deliveries. Among immediate postpartum vaginal placements, the expulsion rate for levonorgetrel intrauterine devices was 27.4% (range, 18.8−45.2) and 12.4% (4.8−43.1) for copper intrauterine devices. Compared with interval placement, immediate and early postpartum placements (inpatient and outpatient combined) were associated with greater risk of complete expulsion (adjusted risk ratio, 8.33; 95% confidence interval, 4.32−16.08, and adjusted risk ratio, 5.27; 95% confidence interval, 2.56–10.85, respectively). Among immediate postpartum placements, risk of expulsion was greater for placement after vaginal compared with cesarean deliveries (adjusted risk ratio, 4.57; 95% confidence interval, 3.49−5.99). Among immediate placements at the time of vaginal delivery, levonorgestrel intrauterine devices were associated with a greater risk of expulsion compared with copper intrauterine devices (adjusted risk ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.36−2.65). Conclusion Although intrauterine device expulsion rates vary by timing of placement, type, and mode of delivery, intrauterine device insertion can take place at any time. Understanding the risk of intrauterine device expulsion at each time period will enable women to make an informed choice about when to initiate use of an intrauterine device in the postpartum period based on their own goals and preferences.
Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Failed Proximal Humerus Osteosynthesis With Intramedullary Allograft: A Case Series:

IntroductionThe presence of retained intramedullary fibular allograft presents many challenges during reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA), which have been discussed in limited fashion. This case se...
Exploring the effect of a peptide additive on struvite formation and morphology: a high-throughput method

Precipitation of struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O), a slow-release fertilizer, provides a means of recycling phosphate from wastewater streams. In this work, a high-throughput struvite precipitation method is developed to investigate the effects of a peptide additive. The reactions occurred in small volumes (300 μL or less) in a 96-well plate for 45 minutes. The formation of struvite was monitored by fitting absorbance at 600 nm over time to a first order model with induction time, with the addition of peptide inducing significant changes to the yield parameter and formation constant in that model. The impact of struvite seed dosing was also investigated, highlighting the importance of optimization when peptide is present. The composition of the precipitate was confirmed through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, while morphology and crystal size were analyzed through optical microscopy. Crystals had a higher aspect ratio when precipitated with the peptide. Finally, the utility of the high-throughput platform was demonstrated with a 25 full factorial design to capture the effects and interactions of: magnesium dose, mixing time, seed dose, pH, and temperature. Overall, this study quantifies novel effects of a sequence-defined peptide on struvite formation and morphology via a newly developed high throughput platform.