cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaching toward quantitative metrics of spasticity

We developed a platform for quantifying movement smoothnes relating to spasticity: the Transient Accelerative Measurement Interface (TAMI). Repetitive elbow flexions of controls and persons with stroke or cerebral palsy were recorded, while their arms were supported in a manipulandum. Results showed that: (1) impairments related to spasticity can be quantified using phase plane analysis and (2) TAMI may offer clinical benefits by delivering targeted therapies to clients subjects in a real-time format, with simple metrics that can be easily interpreted.
Copolymer composition as a function of molecular weight for poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate) initiated by ethylaluminum sesquichloride

There is an increasing body of evidence showing that, for a variety of copolymers, there are significant changes in the copolymer composition over the molecular weight distribution of the polymer. In this work, we have polymerized the copolymer poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate) using ethylaluminum sesquichloride as the initiator. The copolymers produced were fractionated using a semiprep gel permeation chromatograph. The composition of the fractions was determined using infrared spectroscopy. Results show that the percent methyl methacrylate of the copolymers was higher at both the low- and high-molecular-weight regions of the polymers.
Distinctive Neurons of the Anterior Cingulate and Frontoinsular Cortex: A Historical Perspective

Human anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortices participate in healthy social-emotional processing. These regions feature 2 related layer 5 neuronal morphotypes, the von Economo neurons and fork cells. In this paper, we review the historical accounts of these neurons and provide a German-to-English translation of von Economo's seminal paper describing the neurons which have come to bear his name. We close with a brief discussion regarding the functional and clinical relevance of these neurons and their home regions.
Update in female reproduction: a life-cycle approach.

Context: Female reproduction spans a developmental life arc from fetal life and childhood, through puberty to the reproductive years, and, finally, ovarian follicle depletion and the onset of menopause. Objective: This invited review highlights a selection of reports from leading journals over the past 2 yr that have significantly advanced our understanding of female reproduction from conception to menopause. Synthesis: During fetal life, in utero exposures may be important determinants of later pubertal and adult endocrine physiology. Epigenetic mechanisms are likely involved in the fetal programming of adult endocrine function. With regards to the polycystic ovary syndrome, recent clinical trials have confirmed the central role of clomiphene for ovulation induction in women with this disease. In addition, an expert panel has recommended that all women with polycystic ovary syndrome have a glucose tolerance test because of the high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance in this population. In menopausa...
Factors associated with successful answering of clinical questions using an information retrieval system

Objectives: Despite the growing use of online databases by clinicians, there has been very little research documenting how effectively they are used. This study assessed the ability of medical and nurse-practitioner students to answer clinical questions using an information retrieval system. It also attempted to identify the demographic, experience, cognitive, personality, search mechanics, and user-satisfaction factors associated with successful use of a retrieval system. Methods: Twenty-nine students completed questionnaires of clinical and computer experience as well as tests of cognitive abilities and personality type. They were then administered three clinical questions to answer in a medical library setting using the MEDLINE database and electronic and print full-text resources. Results: Medical students were able to answer more questions correctly than nurse-practitioner students before and after searching, but both had comparable improvements in the number of correct questions before and after searching. Successful ability to answer questions was also associated with having experience in literature searching and higher standardized test-score percentiles. Conclusions: Medical and nurse-practitioner students obtained comparable benefits in the ability to answer clinical questions from use of the information retrieval system. Future research must examine strategies that improve successful search and retrieval of clinical questions posed by clinicians in practice.
Phonological priming in the lexical decision task: a failure to replicate.

Some models of the lexicon predict that recognition of words should produce activation spreading to phonologically related words. Consistent with this prediction, Hillinger (1980) demonstrated priming in a visual lexical decision task for word targets preceded by graphemically similar or graphemically dissimilar primes that rhymed with the target. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether this phonological priming effect occurred automatically or because of subject strategies. Although semantically associated primes produced significant facilitation in Experiment 1, no evidence of phonological priming was obtained. Experiments 2 to 5 were conducted in an attempt to obtain the phonological priming effect. Experiment 5 was a replication of one of Hillinger’s experiments. In none of these experiments was phonological priming observed. These results indicate either that the lexicon is not organized such that spreading activation occurs on the basis of phonological similarity, or that visual lexical decisions are made without phonological mediation.
Coinfection with Borrelia burgdorferi and the Agent of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis Alters Murine Immune Responses, Pathogen Burden, and Severity of Lyme Arthritis

Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) are tick-borne illnesses caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and the agent of HGE, respectively. We investigated the influence of dual infection with B. burgdorferi and the HGE agent on the course of murine Lyme arthritis and granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Coinfection resulted in increased levels of both pathogens and more severe Lyme arthritis compared with those in mice infected with B. burgdorferi alone. The increase in bacterial burden during dual infection was associated with enhanced acquisition of both organisms by larval ticks that were allowed to engorge upon infected mice. Coinfection also resulted in diminished interleukin-12 (IL-12), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels and elevated IL-6 levels in murine sera. During dual infection, IFN-γ receptor expression on macrophages was also reduced, implying a decrease in phagocyte activation. These results suggest that coinfection of mice with B. burgdorferi and the HGE agent modulates host immune responses, resulting in increased bacterial burden, Lyme arthritis, and pathogen transmission to the vector.
A sparsity-aware QR decomposition algorithm for efficient cooperative localization

This paper focuses on reducing the computational complexity of the extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based multi-robot cooperative localization (CL) by taking advantage of the sparse structure of the measurement Jacobian matrix H. In contrast to the standard EKF update, whose complexity is up to O(N4) (N is the number of robots in a team), we introduce a Modified Householder QR algorithm which fully exploits the sparse structure of the matrix H, and prove that the overall complexity of the EKF update, based on our QR factorization scheme, reduces to O(N3). Finally, we validate the Modified Householder QR algorithm through extensive simulations, and demonstrate its superior performance both in terms of accuracy and CPU runtime, as compared to the current state-of-the-art QR decomposition algorithm for sparse matrices.
Make Money Surfing the Web? The Impact of Internet Use on the Earnings of U.S. Workers

Much research on the “digital divide” presumes that adults who do not use the Internet are economically disadvantaged, yet little research has tested this premise. After discussing several mechanisms that might produce differences in earnings growth between workers who do and do not use the Internet, we use data from the Current Population Survey to examine the impact of Internet use on changes in earnings over 13-month intervals at the end of the “Internet boom.” Our analyses reveal robustly significant positive associations between Web use and earnings growth, indicating that some skills and behaviors associated with Internet use were rewarded by the labor market. Consistent with human-capital theory, current use at work had the strongest effect on earnings. In contrast to economic theory (which has led economists to focus exclusively on effects of contemporaneous workplace technology use), workers who used the Internet only at home also did better, suggesting that users may have benefited from superior...
Development and characterization of 22 microsatellite loci for the ringed salamander ( Ambystoma annulatum ) using paired-end Illumina shotgun sequencing

We isolated and screened 68 microsatellite loci from the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum, in Missouri, USA. Eighteen polymorphic loci were identified and pooled into two multiplex reactions. These loci are a needed addition to the known loci for A. maculatum, which were developed in a different geographic region and are unsuitable for population or landscape genetic analyses in Missouri. To effectively protect and manage this species, regionally-relevant studies of population genetic structure and connectivity are necessary.
Cardiovascular flow simulation at extreme scale

As cardiovascular models grow more sophisticated in terms of the geometry considered, and more physiologically realistic boundary conditions are applied, and fluid flow is coupled to structural models, the computational complexity grows. Massively parallel adaptivity and flow solvers with extreme scalability enable cardiovascular simulations to reach an extreme scale while keeping the time-to-solution reasonable. In this paper, we discuss our efforts in this area and provide two demonstrations: one on an extremely large and complex geometry (including many of the major arteries below the neck) where the solution is efficiently captured with anisotropic adaptivity and another case (severe abdominal aorta aneurysm) where the transitional flow leads to extremely large meshes (O(109)) and scalability to extremely large core counts (O(105)) for both rigid and deforming wall simulations.
Evaluación exploratoria de sustentabilidad de tres socio-ecosistemas en el matorral y bosque esclerófilo de Chile Central

En esta investigacion se propuso y aplico una evaluacion exploratoria de la sustentabilidad de tres socio-ecosistemas ubicados en el Matorral y Bosque Esclerofilo (MBE) de Chile central: 1. Los Yuyos (75 ha.), Colliguay, V Region; 2. Tantehue (110 ha.), Provincia Melipilla, Region Metropolitana y 3. Panama (138 ha.), Provincia de Colchagua, VI Region. Sustentabilidad fue definida como la interaccion de 3 tipos de sustentabilidades: ecologica, economica y social. La sustentabilidad ecologica fue definida como: 1. Relacion entre la Maxima Explotacion Sustentable y la Explotacion Efectiva, 2. Grado de Naturalidad (Machado, 2004) y 3. Grado de Intervencion Antropica (Gonzalez, 2000). La sustentabilidad economica fue definida como: 1. Rentabilidad y 2. Sostenibilidad de la Rentabilidad en el Tiempo. Y la sustentabilidad social fue definida como: 1. Nivel Socioeconomico, 2. Traspaso Generacional y 3. Nivel Educativo del nucleo familiar. En Colliguay se encontro un escenario general de “Sustentabilidad” y en Tantehue y Panama se encontro una situacion de “Insustentabilidad”. Se concluye que los socio-ecosistemas estudiados en el MBE de Chile central estan en una situacion critica de sustentabilidad por lo que se enfatiza la importancia de conservar este tipo de ecosistema.
Strategies Designed To Promote Active Learning And Student Satisfaction

Four strategies designed to promote active learning and student satisfaction were employed with two classes of undergraduate students, one day and one evening, in a course in adolescent development. They included the use of small group collaborative testing; face-to-face interviews with adolescents and oral presentations of the results; naturalistic field observations with reports and discussion; and PowerPoint slide presentations with handouts. The students anonymously rated each of the strategies using a likert-type scale at the end of the semester. The evaluations were very positive with 89% to 97% of the students rating the strategies as “liked it very much” or “liked it” for all of the strategies. The average grade achieved in both classes was a “B”. Means for the day class were compared to the evening class and no significant differences were found, suggesting similar positive ratings by both classes. Findings add support to the literature regarding student preferences for the use of active learning methods, involvement in cooperative learning activities, and collaborative test taking compared to lectures “straight from the podium” and individual testing.
Blood secobarbital levels and their clinical correlation in mothers and newborn infants.

Summary 1. Seventy-six mothers received 200 to 300 mg. secobarbital intravenously at varying times before delivery. All mothers and infants were classified according to degree of depression noted at delivery. In 51 mothers and infants simultaneous blood secobarbital levels were determined at birth. 2. Seventy-nine per cent of infants born to the group of mothers under the heaviest sedation (Grade V) were not grossly depressed. 3. Secobarbital rapidly crossed the placenta with virtual equilibration between maternal venous and newborn cord blood within 3 minutes. 4. The maternal blood secobarbital concentration dropped at least 80 per cent within 3 minutes. 5. The fetus was rarely exposed to more than 20 per cent as much as the initial maternal secobarbital level. 6. This difference in peak secobarbital concentration may account for the clinical differences noted in mothers and infants. Fetal circulation contains other mechanisms which may further decrease the exposure of the fetal brain to depressant drugs. 7. Seven of the 8 depressed babies were born within 25 minutes of secobarbital administration. Their cord blood secobarbital concentration showed no correlation with the degree of depression. 8. Postpartum studies of secobarbital blood levels indicated that full-term infants eliminated secobarbital from their blood streams as readily as did their mothers.
The Clinical Eclecticism of Pierre Janet

William James and Pierre Janet had much in common: (a) both taught philosophy (although Janet moved from philosophy to medicine and psychology, while James’s career moved in the other direction); (b) both had medical training; (c) both participated fully in the widest intellectual currents of their times (one of Janet’s closest colleagues was Bergson); (d) both were academics; and (e) both came from upper middle class backgrounds that provided a significant range of intellectual and social contacts and financial stability.
Do We Need Another Gold Standard to Assess Acute Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease? Commentary on an article by Harry K.W. Kim, MD, MS, et al.: "Perfusion MRI in Early Stage of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease to Predict Lateral Pillar Involvement. A Preliminary Study".

In their article, Kim et al. concluded that they could use perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify the extent/location of the femoral head ischemic process at an earlier sclerotic stage of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease than typically would be possible with conventional radiographs1. Their MRI scans showed both the location and the extent of head involvement. The authors suggest that, by utilizing perfusion MRI, they could perform their choice of containment osteotomy (proximal femoral osteotomy) earlier in the course of the disease on selected patients (lateral pillar groups B and B/C according to the classification of Herring et al.). They speculated that if surgeons did not have to “wait to classify” (as they seemingly find necessary with conventional radiography), there would be less risk of collapse (while waiting). Perfusion …
Flexural Behavior of Fiberglass Polymer Composite With and Without TEOS Electrospun Nanofibers

High specific modulus and strength are one of the most desired properties of the materials for structural applications with applications in automotive, defense, aerospace etc. The major cause of failures in composite laminates is due to delaminations. These delaminations in composite laminates can occur due to various loadings such as, low velocity impact, fatigue etc. Conventional methods have like through the thickness stitching or Z-Pinning have limitations for improving flexural and interlaminar properties in woven composites, as while improving interlaminar properties, the in plane properties are affected. Non-woven Tetra Ethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) electrospun nanofibers (ENFs) applied at interfacial regions offer an alternative option to traditional treatments to improve the flexural properties.This study investigates the flexural behavior of fiberglass composite interleaved with TEOS ENFs. The chemically engineered TEOS ENFs were manufactured using electrospinning technique and then sintered. The glass fiber composites with and without interleaving of non-woven TEO ENFs mats were manufactured using a heated vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (H-VARTM). The flexural strength and modulus of nanomodified composite are increased by 14% and 8% respectively; and the strain energy absorption has significantly increased up to 93% with 2% wt. of TEOS ENFs that shows significant improvement in impact resistance.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Experience with a Massive Open Online Course in Rural Rwanda

The growing utilization of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is opening opportunities for students worldwide, but the completion rate for MOOCs is low (Liyanagunawardena, Adams, & Williams, 2013). Partners In Health (PIH) implemented a “flipped” MOOC in Rwanda that incorporated in-class sessions to facilitate participant completion. In October 2013, PIH invited its employees, as well as those at the Ministry of Health, to participate in an online MOOC. Each site had at least one volunteer facilitator who accompanied participants throughout the course by providing course materials and facilitating the understanding of the online material during the weekly class sessions. Following the conclusion of the course, all participants were asked to complete an online survey. A total of 38 out of 62 registered participants completed the survey and of these 38 participants, 20 (52.6%) successfully finished the course. The number of in-person sessions attended was significantly associated with course completion (p < 0.05), and 85% who successfully completed the course attended at least three of seven sessions. Sixteen (80%) participants believed that the completion of this course would help them with career advancement. Half of the participants (19 of 38, 50%) were employed with a position related to research. Other job titles included the following: nurses (4 of 38, 10.5%), a pharmacist (1 of 38, 2.6%), a clinical psychologist (1 of 38, 2.6%), a dentist (1 of 38, 2.6%), and others (10 of 38, 26.3%). The job title was not significantly related to course completion. Our experience, with a completion rate of over 50%, yields several lessons for incorporating MOOCs into capacity-building programs to leverage the potential of online learning in resource-limited areas.
On the Existence and Role of Money in a Stationary System

This brief paper seeks to examine the basis upon which the existence and use of money rests in a stationary framework. Its major innovation is to uncover a neglected cost in the circulation of goods and services — the costs of clearing accounts between economic units — and, ultimately, to ground the use of money under stationary conditions in an advantage money possesses inherently on this count over personal credit.
The State of Technical Communication in the Former USSR: A Review of Literature.

Over the last 2 decades, the nations that once comprised the Soviet Union have begun to play an increasingly important role in the global economy. As a result, today's technical and professional co...
Electrophoretic studies of bovine serum. IV. Differences in serum glycoproteins due to age and sex.

SummaryDifferences found in glycoproteins of bovine serum with respect to age and sex are presented.
Analysis of the Use of Antibiotics in Outpatient Prescriptions in Children's Hospital

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the use of antibiotics in the outpatient prescriptions of our hospital and to provide references for the pediatric use and management of antibiotics.METHODS:Antibiotics prescribed in outpatient prescriptions of our hospital from Jan.to June,2005were analyzed statistically in terms of drug varieties,percentage of drug use and drug combination.RESULTS:Percentage of the antibiotic use in outpatient prescriptions was59.51%and that of the combined use of antibiotics was39.54%.The usage frequency ofβ-lactam antibiotics was the highest.CONCLUSIONS:The percentage of antibiotic prescriptions in outpatient department was on the high side,and there are non-rational use of antibiotics.It is suggested that a hierarchical management system was established to promote rational use of antibiotics.
Three-Dimensional Data Acquisition

A key responsibility of a visual effects supervisor on a movie set is to collect three-dimensional measurements of structures, since the set may be broken down quickly after filming is complete. These measurements are critical for guiding the later insertion of 3D computer-generated elements. In this chapter, we focus on the most common tools and techniques for acquiring accurate 3D data. Visual effects personnel use several of the same tools as professional surveyors to acquire 3D measurements. For example, to acquire accurate distances to a small set of 3D points, they may use a total station . The user centers the scene point to be measured in the crosshairs of a telescope-like sight, and the two spherical angles defining the heading are electronically measured with high accuracy. Then an electronic distance measuring device uses the time of flight of an infrared or microwave beam that reflects off of the scene point to accurately determine the distance to the target. However, acquiring more than a few 3D distance measurements in this way is tedious and time-consuming. It's recently become common to automatically survey entire filming locations using laser range-finding techniques, which we discuss in Section 8.1. The result is a cloud of hundreds of thousands of 3D points visible along lines of sight emanating from the laser scanner. These techniques, collectively called Light Detection and Ranging or LiDAR , are highly accurate and allow the scanning of objects tens to hundreds of meters away.
Who Is My Audience? Investigating Stakeholder Collapse in Online Social Platforms

Exploring top executive’s behavior on social media potentially indicates an important area for information systems research. Engaging in traditional social strategies through digital channels may not always result in strong online images and impressed stakeholders. Traditional perspectives on impression management (IM) have focused on the use of IM on a single targeted audience. In contrast, individuals employing IM tactics in social networking platforms (SNP) must consider multiple audiences simultaneously. We are interested in understanding how top executives leverage SNP for personal gains. Our findings show that when the definition of audience and purposes of IM are re-visited in digital context, some of the traditional lines of thought fall apart.
Polypoid urothelial tumor with inverted growth pattern in the renal pelvis: morphologic and molecular characteristics of a unique diagnostic entity ☆

We report 13 cases of unique polypoid urothelial tumors with inverted growth pattern (PUTIPs) occurring in the proximal ureter and renal pelvis. We describe their morphologic features and further characterize them in regard to TERT promoter mutation status and microsatellite instability. Thirteen cases were identified in our consult archives from 1994 to present. Patients ranged in age from 52 to 83 years at the time of diagnosis (mean, 68.4 years). Grossly, lesions were described variously as pink-tan to white exophytic and friable lesions that were polypoid or pedunculated, located in the renal pelvis or proximal ureter. The masses ranged in size from 0.5 to 3.2 cm (mean, 1.6 cm). PUTIP is a polypoid, plaque-like lesion with features of the following: (1) inverted papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential, lacking an exophytic papillary component; (2) florid von Brunn nest proliferation within and radiating outward from the polypoid lesion; and (3) in some cases, an inverted papilloma with densely hyalinized collagenous stroma. All 4 PUTIPs with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material available were positive for the TERT promoter mutation 228G>A by polymerase chain reaction and were microsatellite stable. Given that PUTIP clinically forms a tumor and is typically treated by nephroureterectomy, it is best regarded as a unique benign urothelial neoplasm that exclusively occurs in the renal pelvis/proximal ureter.
Improved ALE mesh velocities for complex flows

Summary A key choice in the development of Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) solution algorithms is how to move the computational mesh. The most common approaches are smoothing and relaxation techniques; or to compute a mesh velocity field that produces smooth mesh displacements. We present a method in which the mesh velocity is specified by the irrotational component of the fluid velocity as computed from a Helmholtz decomposition, and excess compression of mesh cells is treated through a non-iterative, local spring-force model. This approach allows distinct and separate control over rotational and translational modes. The utility of the new mesh motion algorithm is demonstrated on a number of 3D test problems, including problems that involve both shocks and significant amounts of vorticity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
How do I … manage the platelet transfusion-refractory patient?

BACKGROUND Platelet transfusion–refractoriness is a challenging and expensive clinical scenario seen most often in patients with hematologic malignancies. Although the majority of platelet transfusion–refractory cases are due to nonimmune causes, a significant minority are caused by alloimmunization against Class I human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) or human platelet antigens (HPAs). Such platelet transfusion–refractory patients can be effectively managed with appropriate antigen-negative products. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Our institution has developed a diagnostic and management algorithm for the platelet transfusion–refractory patient with an early focus on identifying those cases caused by immune-mediated factors. Using physical platelet cross-matches to initially classify platelet transfusion–refractory patients as immune-mediated or not, cross-match–compatible inventory is then provided to immune-mediated patients, whereas subsequent HLA (with or without HPA) testing is performed. RESULTS Our blood donor program performs Class I HLA typing of all repeat platelet donors to facilitate the identification of antigen-negative platelet units (virtual cross-matching) as well as the recruitment of HLA-matched donors. The platelet transfusion–refractoriness algorithm realizes an initial net cost savings once two apheresis platelets are saved from use for each newly identified, immune-mediated platelet transfusion–refractory patient. CONCLUSION An algorithm utilizing physical platelet cross-matches, Class I HLA and HPA antibody testing, and upfront Class I HLA typing of platelet donors leads to overall resource savings and improved clinical management for platelet transfusion–refractory patients.
Nocturnal sleep architecture in idiopathic hypersomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Background Current sleep medicine nosology places increased importance on nocturnal polysomnographic sleep recordings in the diagnosis of central nervous system disorders of hypersomnolence, particularly idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). Objective Determine what differences in sleep staging and architecture exist between IH and healthy controls using meta-analysis. Methods Systematic review identified relevant studies that included nocturnal polysomnography data for IH and healthy control groups. Meta-analysis compared standardized mean differences (Hedge's g) for total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep efficiency (SE), rapid eye movement (REM) sleep percentage, slow wave sleep (SWS) percentage, and REM latency (REML). Moderator analyses were also conducted for variables with significant heterogeneity among studies. Results The meta-analysis included 10 studies. Relative to controls, IH demonstrated increased TST (pooled g = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.46 to 1.38, p Conclusions IH is associated with several changes in sleep staging and architecture relative to healthy persons, including alterations in REM and SWS not currently delineated in nosological constructs. Further research is indicated to clarify how these findings are related the pathophysiology of IH and related disorders.
Investigation and Review of Challenges in a High-Temperature 30-kVA Three-Phase Inverter Using SiC MOSFETs

A 30-kVA SiC inverter has been developed for investigating challenges in harsh environment power electronics. In this design, operating temperature of both gate driver and power circuit is targeted at 180 °C ambient temperature. Specifically, the design is to achieve outstanding high-temperature (HT) performance at an affordable cost by taking full advantage of commercial components and applying the latest HT gate drive and protection circuit. The inverter has been evaluated at full power for hours in a thermal chamber. Experimental results of HT operation are provided to support the exciting success of the prototype and the promising future of HT power electronics. Meanwhile, comprehensive reviews on the challenges are presented along with the development process. The reviews cover the HT components in this design and the latest research on HT device characterization and packaging technique. At the end, the achievements and remaining challenges are summarized.
Confronting Tradeoffs Between Agricultural Ecosystem Services and Adaptation to Climate Change in Mali

Changing climatic conditions present new challenges for agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. Sorghum has proven to be an adaptable and resilient crop despite limited funding for crop development. Recent breeding efforts target hybrid and perennial technologies that may facilitate adaptation to climate change. Advantages of perennial crops over their annual counterparts include improved soil quality and water conservation and reduced inputs and labor requirements. In contrast, hybrid crops are often bred for improved grain yield and earlier maturation to avoid variable conditions. We use discrete choice experiments to model adoption of sorghum as a function of attributes that differ between these technologies and traditional varieties in Mali. Overall, the main perceived advantage of perennial crops is agricultural ecosystem services such as soil improvement, while adoption of hybrid crops is hampered by the inability to reuse seed. Women farmers are less concerned about higher labor requirements associated with perennial crops and the ability to reuse hybrids seeds than male farmers. Farmers prefer traditional sorghum to perennial sorghum and are indifferent between traditional and hybrid sorghum. These findings have important policy implications for understanding tradeoffs that are central to farmer decision making when it comes to breeding technologies for climate adaptation.
Marketing of a Robotic Surgical Program

Minimally invasive surgery is generally understood within the healthcare industry as well as the overall community as being safer and more effective for patients as well as more efficient for physicians and hospitals. Since laparoscopic surgery began receiving more attention from fields outside of gynecology, technological advances have continued to improve the ability of surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgeries that reduce complications and improve overall patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Neuropathologies of Schizophrenia

A review and update of the neuropathology of schizophrenia is a much more formidable task today than it was a decade and a half ago. In 1982, I attempted such a review and added the findings from my own study of the histopathology from 25 chronic schizophrenic patients who were hospitalized and died in St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington D.C. (Stevens 1982). Since that date, the much larger number of studies of brain morphology and histopathology of schizophrenic individuals has been greatly augmented by introduction of immunocyto-chemistry and in situ hybridization for specific proteins in post-mortem material and by cerebral imaging with computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, functional NMR and spectroscopy in living patients. Although many differences from normals have been reported, as with the earlier studies, no single or constellation of findings appears to be universal or uniquely present in the schizophrenic brains. Enlarged ventricles are recognized in 20–25% of schizophrenic brains and cortical atrophy in 10–15%. A decrease in volume of medial or superior temporal structures has been reported in averaged data from some studies, but specific numbers or characteristics of individuals with volumes significantly below those of controls are rarely given.
Incidence and Reason for Readmission and Unscheduled Health Care Contact After Distal Radius Fracture.

Background: Understanding risk factors for readmission may help decrease the rate of these costly events. The purpose of this study is to define the incidence of 30-day readmission and unscheduled ...
Evaluating the performance of software NICs for 100-gb/s datacenter traffic control

Modern-day datacenters are constantly evolving and scaling to serve more users. Network traffic and flow control is a critical component to enable this trend, and there is a significant amount of new research in this space. Researchers need a platform for quickly implementing and experimenting with new traffic control mechanisms, while keeping up with increasing line rates. We examine the feasibility of implementing new methods of traffic control in software NICs. We analyze their ability to implement traffic control mechanisms at 40- and 100-Gb/s. We find that while they offer a platform for rapid prototyping at 40-Gb/s, they cannot (yet) support 100-Gb/s.
Generation of renewable mouse intestinal epithelial cell monolayers and organoids for functional analyses

Conditional reprogramming has enabled the development of long-lived, normal epithelial cell lines from mice and humans by in vitro culture with ROCK inhibitor on a feeder layer. We applied this technology to mouse small intestine to create 2D mouse intestinal epithelial monolayers (IEC monolayers) from genetic mouse models for functional analysis. IEC monolayers form epithelial colonies that proliferate on a feeder cell layer and are able to maintain their genotype over long-term passage. IEC monolayers form 3D spheroids in matrigel culture and monolayers on transwell inserts making them useful for functional analyses. IEC monolayers derived from the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) mouse model CFTR ∆F508 fail to respond to CFTR activator forskolin in 3D matrigel culture as measured by spheroid swelling and transwell monolayer culture via Ussing chamber electrophysiology. Tumor IEC monolayers generated from the ApcMin/+ mouse intestinal cancer model grow more quickly than wild-type (WT) IEC monolayers both on feeders and as spheroids in matrigel culture. These results indicate that generation of IEC monolayers is a useful model system for growing large numbers of genotype-specific mouse intestinal epithelial cells that may be used in functional studies to examine molecular mechanisms of disease and to identify and assess novel therapeutic compounds.
Strain-Energy Release in Bent Semiconductor Nanowires Occurring by Polygonization or Nanocrack Formation

Strain engineering of semiconductors is used to modulate carrier mobility, tune the energy bandgap, and drive growth of self-assembled nanostructures. Understanding strain-energy relaxation mechanisms including phase transformations, dislocation nucleation and migration, and fracturing is essential to both exploit this degree of freedom and avoid degradation of carrier lifetime and mobility, particularly in prestrained electronic devices and flexible electronics that undergo large changes in strain during operation. Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and electron diffraction are utilized to identify strain-energy release mechanisms of bent diamond-cubic silicon (Si) and zinc-blende GaAs nanowires, which were elastically strained to >6% at room temperature and then annealed at an elevated temperature to activate relaxation mechanisms. High-temperature annealing of bent Si-nanowires leads to the nucleation, glide, and climb of dislocations, which align themselves to form grain boundaries, thereby reducing the strain energy. Herein, Si nanowires are reported to undergo polygonization, which is the formation of polygonal-shaped grains separated by grain boundaries consisting of aligned edge dislocations. Furthermore, strain is shown to drive dopant diffusion. In contrast to the behavior of Si, GaAs nanowires release strain energy by forming nanocracks in regions of tensile strain due to the weakening of As-bonds. These insights into the relaxation behavior of highly strained crystals can inform the design of nanoelectronic devices and provide guidance on mitigating degradation.
Predictors of Delayed Renal Graft Function in Combined Heart and Kidney Transplant Recipients

Purpose Combined heart and kidney transplant has a protective effect on the cardiac graft. We set out to assess the impact of donor, recipient and transplant characteristics on post-transplant renal graft function. Methods We evaluated combined heart-kidney transplant recipients at a single high volume transplant center between March 2012 and December 2017. Recipients with primary cardiac graft dysfunction were excluded. The primary outcome was delayed renal graft function (DRGF) as defined by need for dialysis within the first week of transplantation. The secondary outcome was any dialysis requirement within the first year. A univariate logistic regression model was used to assess the association between the donor, recipient and transplant factors with the primary and secondary outcomes. Results We identified 66 combined heart-kidney transplant recipients for analysis. Elevated recipient creatinine prior to transplant was associated with DRGF (OR 1.80, 95% 1.25-2.59, p = 0.002). The remainder of evaluated donor and recipient factors were otherwise not associated with acute renal dysfunction (Table 1). Elevated pre-transplant creatinine (OR 1.73, 95% 1.21-2.50, p = 0.003) and redo transplantation (OR 5.70, 95% 1.05-30.87, p = 0.043) were associated with needing dialysis within the first year after transplant (Table 2). Conclusion In our high volume single center experience of combined heart and kidney transplantation, recipient creatinine prior to transplant was the biggest predictor of primary renal graft failure. In addition, redo heart transplantation increases risk of dialysis within the first year.
What we can learn from nonoperating room anesthesia registries: analysis of clinical outcomes and closed claims data.

Purpose of review The prevalence of procedures performed outside of the operating room is steadily growing around the world, especially in the United States. This review aims to discuss the risks and safety of anesthesia performed in remote locations based on an up-to-date literature review, with a focus on the results from closed claims and other database analyses. Recent findings The published literature in the last decade shows that there is an increase in nonoperating room anesthesia cases and that the highest number of these cases are in gastroenterology endoscopy suites. There are safety concerns in nonoperating room cases that involve both anesthesia and nonanesthesia providers. Specific complications found in closed claims analyses include airway compromise, aspiration pneumonia, and dental injuries. Summary The current literature demonstrates that procedures performed in the endoscopy suite make up the largest number of nonoperating room closed claims anesthesia cases. Oversedation and subsequent inadequate oxygenation/ventilation account for the majority of malpractice claims. Conclusions from the current literature emphasize the importance of complying with monitoring standards and having well prepared providers to improve patient outcomes in nonoperating room locations.
Precision Therapy for the Treatment of Primary Immunodysregulatory Diseases

Precision therapy is a concept in which medical treatment is tailored to the patient's individual needs based on individual characteristics and mechanism of disease. Primary immunodysregulatory disorders are an expanding group of primary immunodeficiency diseases that are characterized by early onset autoimmunity and autoinflammation. Precision therapy allows for the alteration of the aberrant immune response leading to clinical improvement of disease related manifestations. This article reviews targeted precision-based therapy for treatment of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen haploinsufficiency, lipopolysaccharide-responsive beige-like anchor deficiency, activated PI3K deficiency syndrome, signal transducer and activator of transcription- 1 and -3 - gain-of-function disorders, and disorders of inflammasome activation.
79885 Self-Weighing in Adolescents with Obesity: Attitudes of Teens and their Parents.

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Obesity is a quickly growing pandemic that negatively impacts health, and clinicians and clinics must employ all evidence-based tools (such as self-monitoring) to help patients control their weight. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The objective of this study was to understand patient and parent perspectives on using daily self-weighing for adolescents with obesity who are seeking obesity treatment. The secondary objective was to understand perspectives on connecting smart-scales to the electronic medical record for messaging, feedback, and reminders between visits. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Thirty adolescents with obesity who were seeking obesity treatment at a tertiary pediatric weight management clinic were recruited into a single-arm feasibility study to create and assess a connection between blue-tooth scales and the electronic medical record. These adolescents and their parents were then approached about conducting exit interviews about their experience in the feasibility study -- their perspectives on connecting bluetooth scales connected to the electronic health record and using daily self-weighing at home to help them reach their healthy weight goals. The interviews were conducted by a trained interviewer who was not a PI or Co-I on the feasibility study, recorded, and transcribed. The interviews were organized on themes including technical challenges, mood, stress, clinic feedback. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The main theme expressed by participants and parents was related to past experiences of their weight loss journey. Sub-themes included: technical challenges with apps, parental involvement in weighing, being told by clinicians to weigh, and intervention impact. Most parents desired more directions and help with setting up the app connection to the EHR. Most parents did not ask their child daily about their weight status as they did not want to cause stress. Some adolescents found it stressful when parents asked about daily weight status; others found it helpful or at least not stressful. Most participants had never been advised by their clinician to regularly self-weigh. Most found it helpful to monitor their weight regularly. Most asked for reminders from clinic to weight and for feedback on weight between visits. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Overall, adolescents with obesity reported self-weighing as being helpful and most wanted some, but not daily, involvement from parents. Most parents wanted additional technological support to create the scale set-up. Nearly all parents and adolescents wanted the weights to be connected to clinic, and for there to be feedback from clinic on weight.
Belief and Opinion Evolution in Social Networks: A High-Dimensional Mean Field Game Approach

Belief and opinion evolution in social networks (SNs) can aid in understanding how people influence others’ decisions through social relationships as well as provide a solid foundation for many valuable social applications. As large numbers of users are involved in SNs, the complexity of traditional optimization techniques is high as they deal with the interactions between users separately. Moreover, the state variable (opinion) is high-dimensional because a person usually has opinions about many different social issues. To overcome those challenges, we formulate the opinion evolution in SNs as a high-dimensional stochastic mean field game (MFG). Numerical methods for high-dimensional MFGs are practically non-existent because of the need for grid-based spatial discretization. Thus, we propose a machine-learning based method, where we use an alternating population and agent control neural network (APAC-net), to tractably solve high-dimensional stochastic MFGs. Through APAC-net, solving MFGs can be regarded as a special case of training a generative adversarial network (GAN). To the best of our knowledge, the APAC-Net is the first model that can solve high-dimensional stochastic MFGs. The simulation results affirm the efficiency of the APAC-net.
Legal Liabilities in Safety and Loss Prevention: A Practical Guide

The goal of every safety professional and safety program is to be proactive and to identify problems while complying within safety guidelines. This book clarifies basic questions about legal liability, how to minimize, prevent, and identify legal risks. Appendices, case studies, and sample forms are included in this resource. The whole book will be revised due to the laws and regulations in the workplace changing. This revised edition will address all of the changes in the laws as well as providing guidance on how to achieve and maintain compliance. Features Covers methods to achieve and maintain compliance Includes new standards and regulations Discusses defense, rights, and responsibilities Provides a guide to professionals who are unfamiliar with reviewing, analyzing, and briefing a court decision Offers a new chapter on environmental and labor
Frontier Manhattan: Yankee Settlement to Kansas Town, 1854-1894

Review of: "Frontier Manhattan: Yankee Settlement to Kansas Town, 1854-1894" by Kay J. Carr.