cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alterations in the rat electrocardiogram induced by stationary magnetic fields

A field strength dependent increase in the amplitude of the T-wave signal in the rat electrocardiogram (ECG) was observed during exposure to homogeneous, stationary magnetic fields. For 24 adult Sprague-Dswley and Buffalo rats of both sexes, the T-wave amplitude was found to increase by an average of 408% in a 2.0 Tesla (1 Tesla = 10/sup 4/ Gauss) field. No significant magnetically induced changes were observed in other components of the ECG record, including the P wave and the QRS complex. The minimum field level at which augmentation of the T wave could be detected was 0.3 Tesla. The magnetically induced increase in T-wave amplitude occurred instantaneously, and was immediately reversible after exposure to fields as high as 2.0 Tesla. No abnormalities in any component of the ECG record, including the T wave, were noted during a period of 3 weeks following cessation of a continuous 5-h exposure of rats to a 1.5-Tesla field. The heart rate and breathing rate of adult rats were not altered during, or subsequent to, application of fields up to 2.0 Tesla. The effect of animal orientation within the field was tested using juvenile rats 3-14 days old. The maximum increase in T-wave amplitude wasmore » observed when subjects were placed with the long axis of the body perpendicular to the lines of magnetic induction. (JMT)« less
Cooperative vision integration through data-parallel neural computations

The authors describe a neural network approach for combining processing of multiple early vision modules. Energy functions for coupling the computation of intensity contours, optical flow, and stereo disparity are defined. Hopfield neural networks are used for function minimization with deterministic annealing to avoid spurious local minima. Vision integration schemes are developed by extending the work of T.A. Poggio et al. (1988) to include cooperative interactions between different vision modules and the Hebbian adaptation of vision module coupling on a massively parallel computer consisting of 4096 processing elements operated in a single-instruction-multiple-data mode. Simple experiments assess the performance of various integration approaches. The resulting algorithms facilitate fast, robust image segmentation. >
Physical Child Harm and Bullying-Related Behaviors: A Comparative Study in Japan, South Africa, and the United States

School bullying is a major social problem in most countries and is especially of concern to school administrators and teachers. The typical place in which bullying occurs is at school. For this reason, school administrators and teachers are often held responsible for its occurrence, prevention, and management. However, in spite of concerted efforts to prevent this problem, bullying continues to plague most schools. Previous research and this study suggest that the etiology of bullying is more directly related to conditions at home rather than to conditions at school. Thus, the authors have hypothesized that bullying is associated with physically harming children in their homes and the coping responses that result from this physical harm. This research surveyed a sample of 852 university students in Japan, South Africa, and the United States. The findings suggest there are significant relationships between physical child harm and three types of bullying related behaviors: offending, being victimized, and o...
Logic Design of Multivalued I 2 L Logic Circuits

An algebraic system for designing multivalued (four-level) I2L circuits is presented here. It was necessary to develop this system because the use of existing multivalued logic formalisms does not result in efficient I2L circuits. The close relationship between the algebra and the integrated circuits is stressed throughout the paper.
Interfacility Transfers of Noncritically Ill Children to Academic Pediatric Emergency Departments

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize the demographics, diagnoses, and management of transferred patients who were directly discharged from the emergency department (ED) or admitted less than 24 hours. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients classified as interfacility ED transfers over a 12-month period in the Pediatric Health Information System database, an administrative database of 42 tertiary care pediatric US hospitals. The primary study outcomes were ED resource utilization at the receiving facility with a focus on children who were discharged directly from the ED or admitted less than 24 hours. RESULTS: Overall, 24 905 interfacility transfers were identified, accounting for 1.3% of the ED volume of these academic pediatric centers. Of these, 24.7% were discharged directly from the ED and 17.0% were admitted for less than 24 hours. Among those directly discharged from the ED, the 3 most common complaints were orthopedic problems, nonsurgical abdominal pain, and viral gastroenteritis; 20.7% received no medical or procedural intervention. Among those admitted for less than 24 hours, the 3 most common complaints were orthopedic problems, traumatic head injury, and gastrointestinal conditions. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of interfacility transfers to academic pediatric EDs is discharged directly from the ED or is admitted for less than a day. These patients and their clinical outcomes provide insight into the educational needs and medical capabilities of referring hospitals and clinicians. * Abbreviations: ED — : emergency department EM — : emergency medicine ICD-9 — : International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision PHIS — : Pediatric Health Information System
Abdominal wall pain in obese women: frequently missed and easily treated

Chronic abdominal pain is a common symptom with an extensive differential diagnosis. The work-up is frequently costly, yet many patients elude definitive diagnosis. We describe 12 obese women with long-standing abdominal pain, many of whom eluded diagnosis but who met criteria for abdominal wall pain. Each patient underwent a focused history and physical examination which included checking for Carnett’s sign and performing a “pinch test”. All patients had positive Carnett’s sign and pinch tests. An injection of local anaesthetic, with or without corticosteroid, completely relieved the pain within 10 min. Of the six patients seen in follow-up, four remained pain free and two responded to a second injection of local anaesthetic. Abdominal wall pain is an under-appreciated cause of chronic abdominal pain. Diagnosis is often straightforward and treatment with a local injection of anaesthetic is both diagnostic and curative.
SIXTEEN YEARS OF OLD-FIELD SUCCESSION AND REESTABLISHMENT OF A BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD FOREST IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL VALLEY

In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), losses of bottomland hardwood forests have been severe, with less than 30% of the original 10 million ha remaining. Reforestation of abandoned farmland is occurring, but there has been little research on natural reestablishment of these forests. We examined understory succession and tree establishment patterns in a 3.2-ha field in northeast Louisiana, USA, abandoned in 1984. Relative elevation, strongly correlated with flooding depth and frequency, varied by approximately 1m. Ground-layer composition was monitored from 1985 to 1999 in twenty 1-m2 quadrats stratified along the elevation gradient. In 2000, shrubs and tree saplings were mapped and their relative elevations determined. Ordination of the ground-layer data revealed that the major trends in species composition were related to time-since-abandonment and elevation. Annual species gradually declined, woody perennials became more abundant, and a shrub and young tree layer emerged from beneath the ground layer, but species composition in low and high elevation plots did not converge. Obligate species were more common at lower elevations, while facultative species were more common at upper elevations. By 16 years after abandonment, a total of 16 tree and shrub species had established in the field; eleven of these had potential local seed sources on levees adjacent to the study site. Abundance of dominant species was significantly related to elevation in most cases. In addition, distance to seed source influenced density and spatial distribution of Celtis laevigata and Fraxinus pennsylvanica. Our study suggests that rate and pattern of secondary succession in LMAV bottomlands are strongly influenced by elevation, dispersal mode of species, and the composition and proximity of forest remnants. Successful restoration of bottomland forests will require an improved understanding of these factors
Grief-Stricken: Zimbabwean Children in Everyday Extremity and the Ethics of Research

The essay approaches ethics and research through a description of the beginnings of a study of children's lives under extreme adversity in the Manicaland province of contemporary Zimbabwe. An encounter with an orphaned child is described, highlighting the presence of her grief. The child's sorrow and its effects on the researcher are explored in the context of a theoretical examination of grief and mourning. The counter-transferential nature of encounters with grief and suffering is noted. The article invites reflection on the problem of sitting with painful affect and questions the extent to which this necessary but painful process is recognized in attempts to codify ethical approaches to research.
Kierkegaard's Ethics of Agape, the Secularization of the Public Square, and Bioethics

Because of the radically incarnational nature of the Christian understanding of ethics and bioethics, according to Kierkegaard, there has always been an infinite gulf between Christian bioethics and secular bioethics. However, the process of the secularization of the public square has made this gulf more apparent and salient for the current ethical debates in biomedicine and the culture more generally.
Non-destructive, label-free metabolic mapping during stem cell differentiation

Quantitative two-photon fluorescence imaging methods to detect stem cell differentiation using the optical redox ratio of FAD/(NADH+FAD) are validated and the underlying mechanisms that drive changes in these metabolic cofactors are elucidated.
The Exhibition of French Manuscripts of the XIII-XVI Centuries at the Bibliothèque Nationale

Only a little more than a year after the memorable exhibition of early mediaeval French illumination, Jean Porcher, indefatigable keeper of manuscripts at the Bibliotheque Nationale, has put together a second. A little larger even than the first, the current show presents three hundred and sixty manuscripts of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, as well as a few from the early sixteenth—the first great exhibition of its kind ever to be held, and one not likely to be equaled for a long time. Indeed, such a splendid display of the major accomplishments of French illumination during this period could only be arranged in Paris, with the chefs-d'aeuvre of the Arsenal and the Mazarine and the Ste. Genevieve (and the Musee Jacquemart-Andre!) joined to those of the Nationale, Most of the great manuscripts of this time were painted for members of the royal family, and they became part of the royal collection now in the Nationale, or, as gifts from private collectors, they entered one of the smaller...
The role of intergovernmental aid in defining fiscal sustainability at the sub-national level:

The concept of fiscal sustainability has become increasingly used over the last 20 years. However, much of the literature on fiscal sustainability at the sub-national level ignores the role of intergovernmental fiscal relations. To address this gap, this paper discusses a sufficient condition for sub-national fiscal sustainability and examines the importance of intergovernmental aid in determining that sustainability. Using panel data of counties and municipalities in the US, and using unit root and cointegration analytic techniques, this paper finds different levels of fiscal sustainability between counties and municipalities. We also find that intergovernmental aid plays an important role for fiscal sustainability for both counties and municipalities.
The role of software licenses in open architecture ecosystems

The role of software ecosystems in the development and evolution of open architecture systems has received insufficient consideration. Such systems are composed of heterogeneously-licensed components, open source or proprietary or both, in an architecture in which evolution can occur by evolving existing components or by replacing them. The software licenses of the components both facilitate and constrain the system’s ecosystem, and the rights and duties of the licenses are crucial in producing an acceptable system. We discuss software ecosystems of open architecture systems from the perspective of an architect or an acquisition organization, and outline how our automated tool and environment help address their challenges, support reuse, and assist in managing coevolution and component interdependence.
Principles of cancer screening for clinicians.

SUMMARY This chapter has outlined some principles of tumor growth, test characteristics, and the evaluation of screening technologies. We have emphasized that test specificity is the critical parameter in the evaluation of technologies because it is the healthy people who will suffer the most from the adverse effects of screening. We have also emphasized that the efficacy of a test is best evaluated by examining mortality reductions in comparable populations. The purpose has been to assist clinicians with their interpretation of the literature. Busy clinicians may not always have the time or inclination to do this themselves. In those cases they need to examine how organizations who make recommendations are coming to their conclusions because it is physicians, not organizations that will do the screening. In particular, it is important to ask the following: (1) Were criteria followed to justify the recommendations being made? (2) If so, what were they, and can the organization demonstrate that they are being met? (3) What perspectives and biases do the organizations bring to the judgments they inevitably have to make? (4) Do you share those perspectives? and (5) When the recommendation is adopted, can you guarantee that it will “first do no harm.”
The repair of recurrent pectus excavatum.

Summary The authors present a new surgical technique specifically designed for the repair of recurrent pectus excavatum.
Traffic Flow Characteristics II

According to their reporting mechanisms, traffic sensors can be classified into three categories: mobile sensors, point sensors, and space sensors. A mobile sensor resides in a vehicle, moves along with the vehicle, and logs the location of this particular vehicle over time. A point sensor sits at a fixed location on a roadway, sees the passage of vehicles above or under it, and reports traffic data only at this particular location over time. A space sensor flies in the sky, observes traffic on a stretch of road, and records the positions of vehicles at an instant of time over this particular stretch of road. It is interesting to see what traffic data reported by these sensors look like and, further, how traffic flow characteristics are determined from these data.
Majority Logic Synthesis Based on Nauty Algorithm

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) based on majority logic is a promising technology for implementation of future integrated circuits. However, the current majority logic synthesis approaches based on three-feasible networks often lead to inefficient QCA circuit implementations. In this work, four-feasible networks are used as the starting point; therefore each node in the network can accommodate one extra variable. Using the Nauty algorithm, 222 standard functions along with their majority gate mapping are identified for Boolean logic functions with up to four-variables. In addition, all redundancies in the synthesized results are eliminated to reduce the size of the QCA circuit implementations. The proposed method leads to an average reduction of 7.94 % in terms of levels of logic and 8.13 % in terms of gates for the 24 Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) benchmarks as compared to other methods.
Effective Discharge Planning

Discharge planning is the process of evaluating and planning for the patient’s needs postdischarge. The effective discharge plan begins with the first encounter in the ED regardless of the final disposition of the patient and must be evaluated throughout the treatment period. The needs of the patient and their caregivers must be evaluated. A clear practical plan to meet these needs must be conveyed to the patient, their caregivers, and other members of the health-care team in a format that each can understand and utilize. A comprehensive well-executed discharge plan can prevent unnecessary delays in discharge and ensure the availability of adequate support postdischarge. The discharge period has been identified as an opportunity to have a positive impact on patient outcomes and needs to be a priority for the health-care team.
Fibrinogen residue γAla341 Is Necessary for Calcium Binding and ‘A-a’ interaction.

Abstract 1154 Fibrinogen, a 340-kDa glycoprotein has essential roles in blood coagulation and platelet aggregation. Fibrinogen is a complex molecule consisting of 3 pairs of Aα, Bβ, and γ chains intertwined to form a tri-nodular molecule with 2 terminal D regions and a central E region. The fibrinogen γ-nodule, a part of D region, has several important sites relating to fibrinogen function, which are the high affinity calcium binding site, hole ‘a’ that binds with knob ‘A’, and the D:D interface. Residue γAla341, which is located in the vicinity of those sites and conserved between all available species, is altered in two variant fibrinogens: fibrinogen Seoul (γAla341Asp) (Song et al., Clin Appl Thromb Hemost 2006) and fibrinogen Tolaga Bay (γAla341Val) (Davis et al., Thromb Haemost 2007). Fibrinogen Seoul showed hypodysfibrinogenemia, and fibrinogen Tolaga Bay hypofibrinogenemia. We have expressed these two variant fibrinogens in CHO cells, purified them from the culture media and performed biochemical tests to elucidate their function. Thrombin-catalyzed kinetics of FpA release was not different ( p -value, 0.3, n=3) from normal fibrinogen. Average specificity constant, k cat /K m for FpA was 7.4±1.8, 5.7±1.8, and 8.1±1.2 (mean±SD, 10 6 M -1 s -1 ) for normal, γAla341Val, and γAla341Asp, respectively. However, FpB release from both variants was slower than that of normal ( p -value, 0.005 in One Way ANOVA; p -value, 0.006 and 0.002 for normal vs γAla341Val, and normal vs γAla341Asp, respectively in multiple comparison). Average specificity constant for FpB was 3.6±1.1, 1.7±0.4, and 1.4±0.3 (mean±SD, 10 6 M -1 s -1 ) for normal, γAla341Val, and γAla341Asp, respectively. We measured fibrin polymerization by turbidity with the final thrombin and fibrinogen concentration being 0.2mg/mL and 0.1U/mL, respectively. At 10mM calcium we saw no turbidity rising with either variant. Both variants showed impaired polymerization with a longer lag period and a slower V max than normal fibrinogen at physiologic 1mM calcium. Lag period, which reflects protofibril formation, for normal, γAla341Val, and γAla341Asp was 110±30, 2,500±150, and 1,200±40, respectively (mean±SD, sec). V max , which reflects lateral aggregation, was 81±26, 15±3, and 3±1 (mean±SD, 10 -5 s -1 ) for normal, γAla341Val, and γAla341Asp. With the FXIIIa cross-linking, measured by SDS-PAGE, we found that γ and α chain cross-linking was delayed in both variants. We tested the calcium binding and the functionality of ‘a’ polymerization site with the plasmin protection assay. Both variants were not protected from plasminolysis in the presence of 1mM calcium or 0.55mM GPRP, indicative of impaired binding of calcium and knob ‘A’. Given these results, both fibrinogen Seoul and Tolaga Bay likely have a conformational change in their calcium and GPRP binding sites resulting in the impaired fibrin polymerization. In conclusion, we think fibrinogen residue γAla341 is important for calcium binding, ‘A-a’ interactions and the conformation of the γ-nodule. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Step-Wise Velocity of an Air Bubble Rising in a Vertical Tube Filled with a Liquid Dispersion of Nanoparticles

The motion of air bubbles in tubes filled with aqueous suspensions of nanoparticles (nanofluids) is of practical interest for bubble jets, lab-on-a-chip, and transporting media. Therefore, the focus of this study is the dynamics of air bubbles rising in a tube in a nanofluid. Many authors experimentally and analytically proposed that the velocity of rising air bubbles is constant for long air bubbles suspended in a vertical tube in common liquids (e.g. an aqueous glycerol solution) when the capillary number is larger than 10–4. For the first time, we report here a systematic study of an air bubble rising in a vertical tube in a nanofluid (e.g. an aqueous silica dioxide nanoparticle suspension, nominal particle size, 19 nm). We varied the bubble length scaled by the diameter of the tubes (L/D), the concentration of the nanofluid (10 and 12.5 v %), and the tube diameter (0.45, 0.47, and 0.50 cm). The presence of the nanoparticles creates a significant change in the bubble velocity compared with the bubble r...
Laser Excitation of Optical Spectra

A brief description is given of the characteristics and types of lasers available. The use of lasers for the excitation of molecular spectra, especially resonance fluorescence spectra, is illustrated with examples. The technique of saturation spectroscopy, or “inverse Lamb-dip” spectroscopy, as a means for achieving ultrahigh resolution is discussed. The application of high-powered lasers to the observation of two-photon spectra, both with and without Doppler broadening, is also discussed.
Improved Quality of Life After Transtibial Amputation in Patients With Diabetes-Related Foot Complications

The purpose of this study was to evaluate health-related quality of life after major lower-extremity amputation in a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus. We evaluated 81 patients with diabetes and transtibial amputation (TTA) who had a minimum of 1 year of follow-up. Of these 81 patients, 50.6% completed the Short Form Survey (SF-36) and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) preoperatively and postoperatively. Outcome measures before and after TTA were compared using Welch's ANOVA for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. There was significant improvement in all 8 subscales of the SF-36, physical component summary (PCS) score, mental component summary (MCS) score, and the FAAM. The median SF-36 PCS score improved from 26.2 to 36.6 preoperatively versus postoperatively ( P < .0005). The postoperative PCS score improved in 75.6% of patients and worsened in 24.4%. The median SF-36 MCS score improved from 43.7 to 56.1 preoperatively versus postoperatively ( P < .0005). Both the FAAM activities of daily living (ADL; P < .005) and FAAM sports scores ( P < .05) improved significantly. The postoperative FAAM general/ADL score improved in 75.6% of patients and worsened in 24.4%. Patients who were nonambulatory postoperatively had significantly lower SF-36 general health subscale scores and lower FAAM scores than patients who were ambulatory postoperatively. In select patients with nonfunctional lower extremities resulting from instability and/or chronic infection, TTA can result in significant improvement in quality of life and lower-extremity function. We acknowledge that 25% of patients had a reduction in self-reported quality of life; however, 75% of patients improved their quality of life.
Applying a Measure for Determining Season of Oyster Harvesting: A Case Study of a Pre-Columbian Florida Site, USA

Over the past two decades, several methods have been developed for determining seasonal patterns of shellfish collecting in archaeological faunal assemblages. One such technique involves the use of the impressed odostome ( Boonea impressa ), a gastropod that is an ectoparasite of oysters and often found in archaeological oyster middens when fine recovery methods (1.6 mm screen or smaller) are employed. Shell length measurements of archaeological odostomes are correlated with modern studies on the snail’s annual growth cycle, ultimately indicating season(s) of oyster harvesting by the site inhabitants. This technique is applied to the archaeological faunal assemblage at Greenfield Site No. 5 (8DU5541), a pre-Columbian site located along the Atlantic coast in northeast Florida, U.S.A. Over 6,000 odostomes were recovered in the 1.6 mm mesh screens. Shell length measurements indicate that oysters were harvested in the summer through late autumn months (July-November). Keywords: Oysters, Odostomes ( Boonea impressa) , Seasonality, Middens, Florida Resumen: Durante las dos ultimas decadas, se han implementado una serie de metodos para determinar los patrones estacionales de recoleccion de conchas en muestras arqueologicas. Una de estas tecnicas hace uso de una especie de odostoma ( Boonea impressa ), un gasteropodo ectoparasito de la ostra que se recupera en los concheros al emplear metodos de recogida muy selectivos (luces de malla de 1-6 mm como maximo). Las medidas de longitud de concha de los odostomas arqueologicos han sido correlacionados con los resultados procedentes de estudios actuales sobre el ciclo de crecimiento del molusco. En ultima instancia esta metodologia nos indica el momento de captura de las ostras por parte de los pobladores de los yacimientos. La tecnica ha sido aplicada a una muestra procedente del yacimiento no 5 del sitio Greenfield (8DU5541), un asentamiento precolombino de la costa atlantica nordoriental de Florida, U.S.A. Mas de 6.000 odostomas fueron recuperados con los tamices de 1,6 mm. Las longitudes de las conchas apuntan a que las ostras fueron recolectadas entre los meses de verano a otono tardio (julio-noviembre). Palabras clave: Ostras, Odostomas ( Boonea impressa), Estacionalidad, Concheros, Florida
VWF Multimer Quantitation for Assessment of Cardiac Lesion Severity and Bleeding Risk

Abstract Introduction: Recent reports have utilized von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimerquantitation in the assessment of native cardiac lesions and prosthetic valve dysfunction. However there is no standardized method for quantitation. We compared 3 methods of assessment which utilized a normal plasma control. Methods: We analyzed 476 samples and their control plasma from 395 patients including normal subjects, patients with aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, mitral or aortic regurgitation, normal and abnormal left cardiac valve prostheses, and left ventricular assist device therapy (LVAD). VWF multimers were assessed as normal or abnormal, or as normalized (patient / normal plasma) VWF multimerratios of gel bands >15/2-15 (NMR 15) or gel bands > 10/2-10 (NMR 10). We tested whether one technique was more strongly associated with hemodynamic severity of the cardiac lesion, with a history of acquired bleeding, and compared the results to a separate test of VWF function, platelet function analyzer 15 00 (PFA). Results: Two hundred seventeen patient samples reflected normal or mildly abnormal hemodynamics, 111 moderate, and 113 severely abnormal hemodynamics. Abnormal multimers were present in only 19% of samples with normal or mildly abnormal hemodynamics compared to 79% abnormal in the presence of moderate to severe hemodynamic abnormality. The distinction between moderate and severe hemodynamic abnormality was less striking, 65% versus 88% (figure, left). Quantitative NMR values declined with increasing cardiac lesion severity (figure, middle). The two quantitative multimermethods showed similar relationships to lesion severity by ANOVA, r=0.40 (NMR 15) versus r=0.36 (NMR 10), and by Spearman correlation, r=0.68 for NMR 15, and r=0.66 for NMR 10, and PFA results were comparable (all p Conclusion: The dichotomous normal / abnormal VWF multimer method appears to distinguish ≥ moderate hemodynamic disruption, whereas there is a continuous relationship between hemodynamic severity and quantitative multimer methods, which may be clinically useful in circumstances in which clinical estimation of lesion severity is challenging, such as with dysfunctional prosthetic valves. Progressive loss of VWF multimersappears to be associated with bleeding, suggesting that quantitative measures may provide incremental value over the dichotomous normal / abnormal designation. Download : Download high-res image (78KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Blackshear: Baxalta, Inc: Consultancy, Research Funding.
The role of astrocytes in amyloid production and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is marked by the presence of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and gliosis, activated glial cells, in the brain. It is thought that Aβ plaques trigger NFT formation, neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation and gliosis and, ultimately, cognitive impairment. There are increased numbers of reactive astrocytes in AD, which surround amyloid plaques and secrete proinflammatory factors and can phagocytize and break down Aβ. It was thought that neuronal cells were the major source of Aβ. However, mounting evidence suggests that astrocytes may play an additional role in AD by secreting significant quantities of Aβ and contributing to overall amyloid burden in the brain. Astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the brain, and therefore even minor quantities of amyloid secretion from individual astrocytes could prove to be substantial when taken across the whole brain. Reactive astrocytes have increased levels of the three necessary components for Aβ production: amyloid precursor protein, β-secretase (BACE1) and γ-secretase. The identification of environmental factors, such as neuroinflammation, that promote astrocytic Aβ production, could redefine how we think about developing therapeutics for AD.
Corneal hysteresis and anterior segment optical coherence tomography anatomical parameters in primary angle closure suspects.

Importance Corneal hysteresis (CH) is a dynamic marker of structural and functional changes in the cornea associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness, but its utility in assessing primary angle closure suspects (PACS) has not been fully elucidated. Background This study assesses if anterior segment measurements correlate with CH in PACS patients. Design IRB-approved retrospective review of imaging and records at a university practice. Participants Sixty-three eyes from 37 patients diagnosed as PACS, without other ocular pathology. Methods Every eye underwent measurements including: ocular response analyzer (ORA), anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a clinical evaluation. ORA measurements were correlated with other anatomic parameters using a mixed effects multivariable linear regression framework. Main outcome measures ORA measurements included: CH, corneal resistance factor, Goldmann IOP (IOPg ) and corneal compensated IOP (IOPcc ). Anterior segment OCT measurements included: central corneal thickness (CCTOCT ), nasal and temporal peripheral corneal thicknesses (PCT1 and PCT2), anterior chamber depth (ACD), nasal angle to temporal angle distance (ATA) and temporal and nasal angle measurements. Clinical measurements included: central corneal thickness via pachymetry, IOP measured by Goldmann applanation, axial length by A-scan ultrasound and spherical equivalent. Results CH was negatively correlated with IOPcc, and ACD CH was positively correlated with CCTOCT , CCTp , CRF, PCT1 and PCT2. Females were found to have lower CH. In multivariable regression controlling for gender, CCT, PCT, IOP and ACD, no correlation was seen between CH and anatomic measurements. Conclusions and relevance CH values in PACS do not correlate with anterior segment anatomy.
Economic and Health Predictors of National Postpartum Depression Prevalence: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Meta-Regression of 291 Studies from 56 Countries.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) poses a major global public health challenge. PPD is the most common complication associated with childbirth and exerts harmful effects on children. Although hundreds of PPD studies have been published, we lack accurate global or national PPD prevalence estimates, and have no clear account of why PPD appears to vary so dramatically between nations. Accordingly, we conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the global and national prevalence of PPD, and a meta-regression to identify economic, health, social or policy factors associated with national PPD prevalence. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of all papers reporting PPD prevalence using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. PPD prevalence and methods were extracted from each study. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate global and national PPD prevalence. To test for country level predictors, we drew on data from UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank. Random effects meta-regression was used to test national predictors of PPD prevalence. Findings: 308 studies of 304,449 women from 56 countries were identified. The global pooled prevalence of PPD was 17.5% (95% CI: 16.4% - 18.6%), with significant heterogeneity across nations (Q = 17,192, p = .000, I2 = 98%), ranging from 3.10% (0.01% - 10.87%) in Singapore to 37.78% (30.95% - 44.83%) in Chile. Nations with significantly higher rates of income inequality (R2=42.78%), maternal mortality (R2=25.54%) infant mortality (R2=12.23%), total fertility rates (R2=17.14%), or women of childbearing age working > 40 hours a week (R2=24.14%) have higher rates of PPD. Together, these factors explain 77.26%% of the national variation in PPD prevalence. Interpretation: The global prevalence of PPD is greater than previously thought and varies dramatically by nation. Disparities in wealth inequality and maternal-child-health factors explain much of the national variation in PPD prevalence.
Publication and Dissemination of Results in Clinical Trials of Neurology.

This review of interventional neurology trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov classifies trials and compares publication rates and time to publication between 2007 and 2014.
Large near-earth objects that are difficult to discover

Earth continues to be hit by Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), and major mass extinctions are related to impacts by large objects. Impacts by objects 100 meter diameter or larger would likely cause significant loss of life, and impact by an object 1 km in diameter or larger would be catastrophic to life on Earth. For this reason, efforts are being made (primarily funded by NASA) to discover all of the larger NEOs, so that any possible future impacts can be predicted well in advance, thereby allowing efforts to be made to deflect the NEO before impact. Although substantial progress has been made in finding most of the larger NEOs, it is clear that a significant number remain undiscovered. It appears likely that it will take many years to complete the inventory of 1 km or larger NEOs. Factors that contribute to the difficulty in discovering the remaining large NEOs include periods close to multiples of 1.0 years, the difficulty in searching for NEOs close to the Galactic Plane, the geographical asymmetry in NEO search assets, and the difficulty in searching for NEOs at small solar elongation.
Geographic Distributions of Tick-Borne Diseases and Their Vectors

This chapter reviews information on the geographic distributions of tick-borne diseases and their primary tick vectors. It first addresses tick-borne encephalitis (TBE); Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF); Colorado tick fever (CTF); tularemia; the tick-borne rickettsioses, including the rickettsial spotted fevers, tick typhuses, and Q fever; human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) (previously called human granulocytic ehrlichiosis), human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME), and ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia ewingii; the tick-borne borrelioses, including Lyme borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF); and babesiosis. Causative agents are identified, and principal ecological and epidemiological determinants of the diseases are outlined, providing information on vectors and vertebrate hosts, as well as features of the diseases useful in understanding exposures and spread and in framing case definitions. Modes of transmission other than tick bite are noted. The chapter describes primary tick vectors and their distributions. It specifically addresses 35 ixodid species and 10 argasid species of the 867 recognized species of ticks that commonly bite people. Risk of transmission to humans in foci of tick-borne diseases is determined by such factors as the density of competent vectors and reservoir hosts, infection thresholds of the pathogens, and the behaviors of humans that place them at risk of bites by infective ticks.
Acute Lower Limb Ischemia

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) of the lower extremities remains a challenging clinical dilemma despite recent advances in perioperative care, pharmacology, and technology. ALI can be defined as a decrease in limb arterial perfusion occurring within 14 days such that limb viability is threatened. Embolic and thrombotic phenomena constitute the majority of etiologies. The keys to successful outcomes include rapid and accurate diagnosis followed by expeditious intervention to restore limb perfusion.
Solar Physics: From the Deep Interior to the Hot Corona

We present an overview of the thermal properties of the Sun from the hot interior to the hot corona. For pedagogical reasons, we confine the discussion to certain relevant solutions of the energy conservation equation. In the interior, quantitative information can be obtained by using a polytropic equation of state: internal temperatures obtained in this way are found to be reliable to about 10%, and we can obtain a good estimate of the depth of the convection zone. In the chromosphere, acoustic waves originating in the convection zone do work on the gas: as the gas heats up, the atomic energy levels of many elements (especially hydrogen) exert a strong thermostatic control so that the temperature is confined to a steady value in the range 5000-104 K. In long-lived coronal loops, a steady state balance between thermal conduction and radiative losses causes the temperature of the electrons to lie in the range (1-2) million K. Coronal ions are heated to greater temperatures than electrons. In flares, processes of heating and cooling are explicitly non-steady, and short-lived excursions to temperatures as high as 25 million K (or more) are observed in the largest flares.
A Probabilistic Approach to Finding Estimates for the Heat Kernel Associated with a Hörmander Form Operator

This chapter discusses a probabilistic approach to finding estimates for the heat kernel associated with a Hormander form operator. The chapter presents a report on some recent work by S. Kusuoka. The main result discussed in the chapter is contained in a theorem: there exists a unique positive ρ ∈ C ∞ ((0,∞) xR N xR N ) such that ∫ p (t,x,y)dy = 1 for all (t, x) ∈ (0,∞) xR N and, for all f ∈ C b ( R N ) , the function u f (t,x) = ∫ f (y) p (t,x,y) dy is the unique u ∈ C ∞ ( (0,∞) xR N ) ∩ C b (R N ), satisfying ∂ t u =Lu, lim t→0 u(t, .) =f.
The Use of “Trend” Statements to Describe Statistically Nonsignificant Results in the Oncology Literature

This study examines recent original research articles in leading oncology journals to evaluate the use of statements about the trend of a P value toward significance to describe statistically nonsignificant results.
Lifespan Perspectives on Work Values and Job Attitudes

Abstract Research on the aging workforce has a long history of examining how what we value at work and how we perceive our jobs changes across the lifespan. The current chapter aims to review and extend the literature on age, values, and job attitudes through four main objectives. First, we briefly review the values literature. Second, we give a general review of the literature on stability in values over time, highlighting trends and limitations within this area of research. Third, we apply both socioemotional selectivity theory and the lifespan theory of control to propose two parallel theoretical perspectives to the argument of value stability (or instability) across the lifespan. We build on these two theoretical perspectives to offer competing propositions as to how supplies-value fit influences job attitudes later in life. We conclude by offering a holistic model of age, values, and attitudes as well as recommendations for researchers and practitioners.
Exploring the long-term academic and career impacts of undergraduate research in geoscience: A case study

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been shown to facilitate students’ pursuit of graduate studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, includi...
IPME Workbench: A Data Processing Tool for Mixed-Methodology Studies of Group Interactions

Today's small group interactions often occur in multi-device, multi-artifact ecosystems. CHI researchers studying these group interactions may adopt a socio-behavioral or sensing/data mining approach or both. A mixed-methodological approach for studying group interactions in collocated settings require collecting data from a range of sources, like audio, video, multiple sensor streams, and multiple software logs. Analyzing these disparate data sources systematically - with opportunities to rapidly form and correct research insights can help researchers who study group interactions. But engineering solutions assimilating multiple data sources to support different methodologies, ranging from grounded theory methodology to log analysis are rarely found. To address this frequent and tedious problem of data collection and processing in mixed-methodology studies of group interactions, we introduce a workbench tool: Interaction Proxemics in Multi-Device Ecologies (IPME). The IPME workbench synchronizes multiple data sources, provides data visualization, and opportunities for data correction and annotation.
Evaluation of Outcomes of a Pharmacist-Run, Outpatient Insulin Titration Telepharmacy Service.

Purpose: Diabetes can pose a significant disease burden for patients and is often challenging to manage in underserved patient populations with limited access to care. A pilot study was conducted to determine the impact of a pharmacist-run insulin titration service, provided via telephone, to patients of a local ambulatory care clinic with a large medically, underserved patient population. The pilot service was implemented in Spring 2018 at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services (CGMHS) and was provided by an affiliate clinical pharmacist who is also on faculty at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy. Patients who received care within the CGMHS diabetes clinic were eligible for referral to the service. The service was provided via a collaborative practice agreement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare clinical outcomes of patients who received the telepharmacy service versus the standard of care. Standard of care was defined as patients whose insulin therapy was managed solely by the primary care provider or by a diabetes clinic provider, without clinical pharmacist involvement in the patient’s care. Methods: This manuscript presents the results of a retrospective chart review conducted at CGMHS of patients, ages 19 or older, with a documented diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes who received care during the timeframe of February 2018 through September 2018 – the initial months of the pilot telepharmacy service. Results: Sixty-seven patients met criteria for inclusion in the analysis - 16 managed in the telepharmacy service, 28 in diabetes clinic, and 23 in primary care. Patients in the telepharmacy group achieved a mean A1c change of -1.14% compared with -0.88% in the diabetes clinic group and +0.21% in the primary care group (p=0.061). In the telepharmacy group, 43.75% of patients experienced at least a 1% reduction in A1c from baseline compared with 35.71% in the diabetes clinic group and 26.09% in primary care (p=0.51). Conclusion: Integration of the clinical pharmacy services for insulin titration positively affected patients’ degree of glucose control. Although no statistically significant reductions in A1c were observed in this study, it should be noted that pharmacist intervention was associated with a modestly higher percent A1c reduction from baseline vs. the standard of care. The pharmacist-run service produced changes in clinical outcomes that numerically exceeded those experienced by patients receiving specialty care, in the diabetes clinic, and within primary care. As a result of this study, the pilot program has remained in effect and is in the initial stages of expansion of the consult service to eligible primary care patients. Article Type: Original Research
The Ecology of New Constituents of the Tick Virome and Their Relevance to Public Health.

Ticks are vectors of several pathogens that can be transmitted to humans and their geographic ranges are expanding. The exposure of ticks to new hosts in a rapidly changing environment is likely to further increase the prevalence and diversity of tick-borne diseases. Although ticks are known to transmit bacteria and viruses, most studies of tick-borne disease have focused upon Lyme disease, which is caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Until recently, ticks were considered as the vectors of a few viruses that can infect humans and animals, such as Powassan, Tick-Borne Encephalitis and Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses. Interestingly, however, several new studies undertaken to reveal the etiology of unknown human febrile illnesses, or to describe the virome of ticks collected in different countries, have uncovered a plethora of novel viruses in ticks. Here, we compared the virome compositions of ticks from different countries and our analysis indicates that the global tick virome is dominated by RNA viruses. Comparative phylogenetic analyses of tick viruses from these different countries reveals distinct geographical clustering of the new tick viruses. Some of these new tick RNA viruses (notably severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and Heartland virus) were found to be associated with serious human diseases. Their relevance to public health remains unknown. It is plausible that most of these newly identified tick viruses are of endogenous origin or are restricted in their transmission potential, but the efforts to identify new tick viruses should continue. Indeed, future research aimed at defining the origin, the ecology and the spillover potential of this novel viral biodiversity will be critical to understand the relevance to public health.
A Hybrid Intelligence-Based Cognitive Engine

Demand for a reliable and adaptive intelligence generalization system has become an essential task to both the WCS’s developers and its numerous services providers. Since WCS’s spectrum is naturally known to be unstable, time-dependent and currently not only scarce in capacity but heavily congested and the impacts of its various services and its rapidly evolving applications are constantly making the system to be extremely complex. However as proposed by Mitola in 1999, Cognitive Radio (CR) has been developed with such intelligence capabilities and through it, the present-day WCS’s spectrum complexity can be effectively managed, at the same time increases its scarce and the highly varying spectrum utilization particularly in complicated WCS’s environments. To address this, CR system through its intelligence mechanism, which is also known as the Cognitive Engine (CE) enforces such adaptive intelligence functionalities to dynamically adjust its input parameters, observing its surrounding environment and ultimately makes its decision to meet the WCS’s desired objective. This paper proposes the hybridization of two different Artificial Intelligence systems to design and implement an adaptive intelligence system for CR systems to predict the WCS’s required objective.