cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurological symptoms and signs in thyroid disease

Numerous complex regulatory mechanisms influence the development and function of the peripheral and central nervous system. Among them, hormones belong to the most potent regulatory factors. Various particles known for their hormonal activity serve as neurotransmitters. Additionally, hormones secreted systemically modulate the function of the nervous system both on the brain level and in peripheral organs. Thyroid function has been shown to play a crucial role in the proper cognitive development but also in many other aspects of nervous system activity, in mechanisms involving direct interaction with intrinsic regulatory circuits or indirectly by systemic effects exerted e.g. on the circulatory system or metabolic pathways. Due to these close relations with the nervous system function, disturbances of thyrometabolic state are associated with a vast spectrum of neurological signs and symptoms including: mood and cognitive disorders, headache, ophthalmoplegia, tremor and other movement disorders, muscle weakness etc. Both hyper- and hypothyroidism may cause psychiatric symptoms like depressive or anxiety disorder, memory deficits, executive inability and even psychosis. The severe decompensated hypothyroidism may result in myxoedema coma - a life-threatening condition with sequentially progressing encephalopathic symptoms. Steroid-responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAAT) represents another form of encephalopathic disorder associated with thyroid disease and causing potentially serious clinical complications. In the periphery, the thyrometabolic disturbances may affect muscle function resulting in subjective tiredness and low exercise tolerance and in some cases (especially in hypothyroidism) in objective myopathic signs. Also peripheral nervous system may be affected, mainly in hypothyroid patients, with greater tendency to develop peripheral polyneuropathy and entrapment neuropathies such as carpal tunnel or Guyone canal syndromes. Importantly, the autoimmune thyroid disease has been shown to coexist with other autoimmune processes which may potentially cause neurological symptoms such as myasthenia, Guillain-Barre syndrome or pernicious anaemia. Such conditions have to always be taken in consideration as differential diagnoses in patients presenting with neurological signs and symptoms associated with thyroid disease.
Multi-material 3-D viscoelastic model of a transtibial residuum from in-vivo indentation and MRI data

Although the socket is critical in a prosthetic system for a person with limb amputation, the methods of its design are largely artisanal. A roadblock for a repeatable and quantitative socket design process is the lack of predictive and patient specific biomechanical models of the residuum. This study presents the evaluation of such a model using a combined experimental-numerical approach. The model geometry and tissue boundaries are derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The soft tissue non-linear elastic and viscoelastic mechanical behavior was evaluated using inverse finite element analysis (FEA) of in-vivo indentation experiments. A custom designed robotic in-vivo indentation system was used to provide a rich experimental data set of force versus time at 18 sites across a limb. During FEA, the tissues were represented by two layers, namely the skin-adipose layer and an underlying muscle-soft tissue complex. The non-linear elastic behavior was modeled using 2nd order Ogden hyperelastic formulations, and viscoelasticity was modeled using the quasi-linear theory of viscoelasticity. To determine the material parameters for each tissue, an inverse FEA based optimization routine was used that minimizes the combined mean of the squared force differences between the numerical and experimental force-time curves for indentations at 4 distinct anatomical regions on the residuum. The optimization provided the following material parameters for the skin-adipose layer: [c=5.22kPam=4.79γ=3.57MPaτ=0.32s] and for the muscle-soft tissue complex [c=5.20kPam=4.78γ=3.47MPaτ=0.34s]. These parameters were evaluated to predict the force-time curves for the remaining 14 anatomical locations. The mean percentage error (mean absolute error/ maximum experimental force) for these predictions was 7±3%. The mean percentage error at the 4 sites used for the optimization was 4%.
Dione and Rhea seasonal exospheres revealed by Cassini CAPS and INMS

Abstract A Dione O 2 and CO 2 exosphere of similar composition and density to Rhea's is confirmed by Cassini spacecraft Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) flyby data. INMS results from three Dione and two Rhea flybys show exospheric spatial and temporal variability indicative of seasonal exospheres, modulated by winter polar gas adsorption and desorption at the equinoxes. Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) pickup ion fluxes also show exospheric structure and evolution at Rhea consistent with INMS, after taking into consideration the anticipated charge exchange, electron impact, and photo-ionization rates. Data-model comparisons show the exospheric evolution to be consistent with polar frost diffusion into the surface regolith, which limits surface exposure and loss of the winter frost cap by sputtering. Implied O 2 source rates of ∼45(7) × 10 21 s −1 at Dione(Rhea) are ∼50(300) times less than expected from known O 2 radiolysis yields from ion-irradiated pure water ice measured in the laboratory, ruling out secondary sputtering as a major exospheric contributor, and implying a nanometer scale surface refractory lag layer consisting of concentrated carbonaceous impurities. We estimate ∼30:1(2:1) relative O 2 :CO 2 source rates at Dione(Rhea), consistent with a stoichiometric bulk composition below the lag layer of 0.01(0.13) C atoms per H 2 O molecule, deriving from endogenic constituents, implanted micrometeoritic organics, and (in particular at Dione) exogenous H 2 O delivery by E-ring grains. Impact deposition, gardening and vaporization may thereby control the global O 2 source rates by fresh H 2 O ice exposure to surface radiolysis and trapped oxidant ejection.
Do Smoothing Activities Indicate Higher or Lower Financial Reporting Quality? Evidence from Effective Tax Rates

We examine the extent to which the smoothing of GAAP effective tax rates (ETRs) through tax accruals affects the ability of current-period GAAP ETRs to predict future cash ETRs. We develop a new measure of GAAP ETR smoothing that isolates smoothing due to tax accruals from the fundamental smoothness of tax rates evident in the volatility of cash ETRs. Our results show that, on average, a one standard deviation increase in GAAP ETR smoothing is associated with a 37 percent increase in the ability of current-period GAAP ETRs to predict future cash ETRs. We find that both discretionary and non-discretionary components of smoothing explain this result. We also find evidence that the informativeness of GAAP ETR smoothing decreases significantly in the presence of alternative reporting objectives, such as maintaining perfectly smooth ETRs or avoiding audit scrutiny from tax authorities, suggesting a negative role of managerial discretion in some circumstances. Finally, we show that smoothing of GAAP ETRs may also be informative about future cash ETR variance. Our findings add to the tax reporting literature by demonstrating the informational value of ETR smoothing through tax accruals, and the negative impact of alternative reporting objectives on the informativeness of ETR smoothing.
Consumer Self-Concept, Symbolism and Market Behavior: A Theoretical Approach:

What is the relationship between the psychological characteristics of a consumer and his purchase behavior? In this paper the authors briefly review pertinent research and lay theoretical foundatio...
Evaluating the Accelerated Research and AMT Credits Election Under Section 168(k)(4)

The article focuses on the evaluation of the accelerated research and alternative minimum tax (AMT) credits election in the U.S. under Section 168(K) (4). It says that Section 168(K) (4) provides a special election for corporations to monetize certain pre-2006 research credit and AMT credits in lieu of Section 168(k) bonus depreciation and Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) recovery. The election could also be applied for profitable companies, but they must be aware that this election is subject for a tax cost as property that become operational during the nine-month window of 2008 or the 12-month window of 2009 are not allowable for bonus depreciation.
Alignment and Accountability in Policy Design and Implementation The Common Core State Standards and Implementation Research

Both the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and recent efforts to hold schools and teachers accountable have been hotly debated among practitioners, policymakers, and the public at large. Much of the debate centers on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and the general approach they represent to reforming teaching and learning. In this article, we focus on a different issue, that is, the opportunity to advance research on policy implementation afforded by the intertwined nature of CCSS and accountability efforts. Arguing that it is essential for stakeholders, regardless of their stance on either reform, to understand whether and how both influence classroom teaching and learning, we outline elements of a research agenda to generate knowledge important to the design of future instructional policies. For this to happen, we argue that an implementation research agenda needs to build on (rather than reinvent) lessons learned from the past quarter century of implementation scholarship on instructional...
Measuring global improvement and satisfaction with pain care

All of the measures described up to this point assess a specific domain that clinicians should consider measuring and monitoring in their patients with pain. None provide a general global assessment of how the patient views his or her overall pain management program, or the most recent pain treatment he or she received. The assessment of global improvement and satisfaction with treatment is now considered important in pain clinical trials, in part because this allows patients to communicate overall satisfaction with care, taking into account not only treatment-related improvements in pain, but also other factors, such as the presence and severity of side effects, as well as the relationship with the care providers [56,57]. Clinicians may also determine that a global assessment of satisfaction with pain care is useful for monitoring ongoing treatment efficacy.
Making {USB} Great Again with {USBFILTER}

USB provides ubiquitous plug-and-play connectivity for a wide range of devices. However, the complex nature of USB obscures the true functionality of devices from the user, and operating systems blindly trust any physically-attached device. This has led to a number of attacks, ranging from hidden keyboards to network adapters, that rely on the user being unable to identify all of the functions attached to the host. In this paper, we present USBFILTER, which provides the first packet-level access control for USB and can prevent unauthorized interfaces from successfully connecting to the host operating system. USBFILTER can trace individual USB packets back to their respective processes and block unauthorized access to any device. By instrumenting the host’s USB stack between the device drivers and the USB controller, our system is able to filter packets at a granularity that previous works cannot — at the lowest possible level in the operating system. USBFILTER is not only able to block or permit specific device interfaces; it can also restrict interfaces to a particular application (e.g., only Skype can access my webcam). Furthermore, our experimental analysis shows that USBFILTER introduces a negligible (3-10μs) increase in latency while providing mediation of all USB packets on the host. Our system provides a level of granularity and extensibility that reduces the uncertainty of USB connectivity and ensures unauthorized devices are unable to communicate with the host.
Drawing Defendable Conclusions from Effects Tests using Pulse Illumination of Electronic Systems

Engineers spend a great deal of time and effort collecting effects data on the illumination of electronic systems by electromagnetic waves. The effects can include upset or damage to the devices. The overall goal of these data is to draw conclusions about conditions that will allow the prediction of future failures of electronic systems of the same type or application. Illumination sources can include lightning, electromagnetic interference or high-power microwaves. It is rare that the engineer is allowed to take sufficient data to meet the usual statistical tests for conclusions about the data, yet those tests limit the applicability of the conclusions. This paper will outline the general statistical requirements by presenting general models. Applicability of those models will be extended using physical constraints and examples will be shown.
Assessing the Initial Pleasantness for Fading Affect, Fixed Affect, Flourishing Affect, and Flexible Affect Events

Summary Over time, autobiographical memories demonstrate fixed affect (i.e., maintain initial affect), fading affect, flourishing affect (i.e., increased affect), or flexible affect (i.e., change from unpleasant to pleasant or vice versa). Walker and Skowronski argued that events low in initial pleasantness are more likely to exhibit flourishing affect and flexible affect and that unpleasant events are more likely to demonstrate flexible affect than pleasant events. However, because of the low frequency of flourishing affect and flexible affect events in individual studies, research had not examined differences between these event categories. The present study examined initial pleasantness ratings for fading affect, fixed affect, flourishing affect, and flexible affect events across four published studies. We expected and generally found lower initial pleasantness for flourishing affect and flexible affect events than for fading affect and fixed affect events. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High Structure Active Learning Pedagogy for the Teaching of Organic Chemistry: Assessing the Impact on Academic Outcomes

Organic Chemistry is a required course for programs in chemistry, biology, and many health science careers. It has historically been considered a highly challenging course with significant failure rates. As with many science disciplines, the teaching of Organic Chemistry has traditionally focused on unstructured exposition-centered delivery of course material. This report details efforts to transform the teaching of a large section of Organic Chemistry to a more student-centered approach through the use of a highly structured, active learning format. In this study, the authors examine student performance data on homogeneous examinations and course grades for two groups of students at a large public university for comparison between those that received highly structured active learning pedagogy and those that received traditional, unstructured, lecture pedagogy in Organic Chemistry. Data consist of repeated cross sections over 4 different years, with a total sample size n = 766. Regression and propensity s...
Rodgers and Hammerstein: The Sound of Money

Though known primarily as creators, Rodgers and Hammerstein became involved in the production of musicals, including not only their own works but also shows such as Annie Get Your Gun (1946). They established sound business practices in order to secure the legacies of their work and those of others.
iXercise: An immersive platform for exercise intervention for special needs populations

The benefits of regular physical activity are well known. In recent years, a lot of attention has been placed by the health industry on developing motivational techniques to get people to exercise — habit forming is key. In the iXercise project, we incorporate cloud computing, cloud networking, and physical computing solutions, in conjunction with innovative game design principles, to create the iXercise platform. iXercise (immersive exercise) is based on a virtual environment exergame platform that provides an adjusted intervention fitness program targeted to special needs populations. This is especially of import for the large population of special needs patients, e.g., leukemia, PTSD, obese/sedentary, and the elderly, that are unable to participate in fitness programs outside of special environments, such as medical clinics, special care residences or their homes. In this paper we describe our prototype which encourages adherence to a fitness program, by modding an existing popular video game that turns physical activity targets into in-game quests and rewards linked to individual fitness levels and performance.
The Effect of Level of Care on Gastroschisis Outcomes.

Objective To examine the relationship between level of care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and outcomes for newborns with gastroschisis. Study design A retrospective cohort study was conducted at 130 California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative NICUs from 2008 to 2014. All gastroschisis births were examined according to American Academy of Pediatrics NICU level of care at the birth hospital. Multivariate analyses examined odds of mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, and duration of stay. Results For 1588 newborns with gastroschisis, the adjusted odds of death were higher for those born into a center with a level IIA/B NICU (OR, 6.66; P = .004), a level IIIA NICU (OR, 5.95; P = .008), or a level IIIB NICU (OR, 5.85; P = .002), when compared with level IIIC centers. The odds of having more days on ventilation were significantly higher for births at IIA/B and IIIB centers (OR, 2.05 [P Conclusions NICU level of care was associated with significant disparities in odds of mortality for newborns with gastroschisis.
Breast cancer screening in transgender patients: Findings from the 2014 BRFSS survey.

1564Background: Transgender patients undergoing transitions often receive cross sex hormonal therapies, placing them at uncertain risk for developing breast cancer. There is limited population-base...
Haglund’s Deformity and Chronic Achilles Tendonitis

Haglund’s deformity is characterized as an enlarged prominence of the superior aspect of the posterior calcaneus, which can cause painful inflammation within the retrocalcaneal bursa and anterior surface of the Achilles tendon as a result of mechanical irritation. This may ultimately lead to the development of insertional Achilles tendinopathy. Operative treatment is indicated if conservative therapy, including shoe wear modification, physical therapy, and newer modalities including shockwave therapy, fails to relieve the pain. Endoscopic surgery has the advantages of fewer complications and shorter recovery times in comparison with the open technique. Endoscopic calcaneoplasty is performed using 2 portals, through which the Haglund’s prominence and the degenerative portion of the anterior Achilles tendon are debrided, providing better visualization compared to the open procedure. Endoscopic surgery has demonstrated good to excellent outcomes in the short to medium term. This article describes technique of endoscopic calcaneoplasty and Achilles tendoscopy.
Efficient sensor selection with application to time varying graphs

This paper addresses the problem of efficiently selecting sensors such that the mean squared estimation error is minimized under jointly Gaussian assumptions. First, we propose an O(n3) algorithm that yields the same set of sensors as a previously published near mean squared error (MSE) optimal method that runs in O(n4). Then we show that this approach can be extended to efficient sensor selection in a time varying graph. We consider a rank one modification to the graph Laplacian, which captures the cases where a new edge is added or deleted, or an edge weight is changed, for a fixed set of vertices. We show that we can efficiently update the new set of sensors in O(n2) time for the best case by saving computations that were done for the original graph. Experiments demonstrate advantages in computational time and MSE accuracy in the proposed methods compared to recently developed graph sampling methods.
Childbirth after adolescent and young adult cancer: a population-based study.

Annually, > 45,000 US women are diagnosed with cancer during adolescence and young adulthood (AYA). Since 2006, national guidelines have recommended fertility counseling for cancer patients. We examined childbirth after AYA cancer by calendar period, cancer diagnosis, and maternal characteristics. We identified a cohort of women with an incident invasive AYA cancer diagnosis at ages 15–39 during 2000–2013 in North Carolina. Cancer records were linked with statewide birth certificates through 2014. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for first post-diagnosis live birth were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Among 17,564 AYA cancer survivors, 1989 had ≥ 1 birth after diagnosis during 98,397 person-years. The 5- and 10-year cumulative incidence of live birth after cancer was 10 and 15%, respectively. AYA survivors with a post-diagnosis birth were younger at diagnosis, had lower stage disease, and had less often received chemotherapy than those without a birth. The 5-year cumulative incidence of post-diagnosis birth was 10.0% for women diagnosed during 2007–2012, compared to 9.4% during 2000–2005 (HR = 1.01; 0.91, 1.12), corresponding to periods before and after publication of American Society of Clinical Oncology fertility counseling guidelines in 2006. Despite advances in fertility preservation options and recognition of fertility counseling as a part of high-quality cancer care, the incidence of post-diagnosis childbirth has remained stable over the last 15 years. Our study uses statewide data to provide recent, population-based estimates of how often AYA women have biological children after a cancer diagnosis.
Average volume-assured pressure support in a 16-year-old girl with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is an uncommon disorder characterized by the absence of adequate autonomic control of respiration, which results in alveolar hypoventilation and decreased sensitivity to hypercarbia and hypoxemia, especially during sleep.1 Patients with CCHS need lifelong ventilatory support. The treatment options for CCHS include intermittent positive pressure ventilation administered via tracheostomy, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, negative-pressure ventilation by body chamber or cuirass, and phrenic nerve pacing.2 However, it may be necessary to alter the mode of ventilation according to age, psychosocial reasons, complications of therapy, and emergence of new modes of ventilation.3 We present a case of a 16-year-old girl with CCHS who was mechanically ventilated via tracheostomy for 16 years and was successfully transitioned to a new modality of noninvasive ventilation (average volume-assured pressure support [AVAPS]) that automatically adjusts the pressure support level in order to provide a consistent tidal volume. Citation: Vagiakis E; Koutsourelakis I; Perraki E; Roussos C; Mastora Z; Zakynthinos S; Kotanidou A. Average volume-assured pressure support in a 16-year-old girl with central congenital hypoventilation syndrome. J Clin Sleep Med 2010;6(6):609-612.
Seasonal Variation in the Respiratory Rate and ETS Activity of Deep-water Zooplankton from the Swedish West Coast

ABSTRACT The respiratory rate and ETS activity of zooplankton from the deeper part of Kosterfjorden, Sweden, varied considerably over the year, with maxima usually in spring and minima in summer. The ETS activity was much more variable than the respiratory rate and the seasonal variation of the two were only weakly correlated. The copepod Chiridius armatus was found to have exceptionally high ETS activity and some of the other species occasionally showed high values. The ratio between ETS activity and respiratory rate was neither constant between different species nor constant over the year. These findings cast some uncertainity over ETS activity as a predictive tool for estimating population or community metabolism.
Efficient methods for hydroelastic analysis of very large floating structures

The linear hydroelastic response of a very large floating structure (VLFS) consisting of multiple modules is studied theoretically, following a review of the past work on hydroelasticity in fluid-structure interaction. The three-dimensional Green function method and Morison's equation approach are used to determine the fluid loading in conjunction with two different hydroelastic models. The first method uses a rigid module, flexible connector model in which the hydrodynamic interaction between rigid modules is taken into account. The double composite source distribution method, which is a numerically efficient implementation of the Green function method that exploits double symmetry of the structure in the longitudinal and lateral directions, is used to reduce computations. In the second method, fully elastic modules are considered. In this approach, the fluid loading is obtained by Morison's equation, and the structure is modelled by frame finite elements. The predictions for the rigid-body motions and structure is modelled by frame finite elements. The predictions for the rigid-body motions and structural deformations, as well as module-connector loads, obtained by the two different methods are compared. The proposed methods of hydroelasticity have been used to predict the response of a 16-module VLFS, 100 m by 1600 m. Both methods are sufficiently efficient to allow the analysis of even larger VLFS.
A novel framework to compare the effectiveness of β-lactamase inhibitors against extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract Objectives Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) present a serious challenge in the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections. ESBLs mediate resistance to most β-lactams, which may be reversed with the addition of an active β-lactamase inhibitor (such as tazobactam, relebactam and avibactam). However, various ESBLs may exhibit different susceptibilities to these inhibitors, which could impact efficacy. We proposed a framework for comparing the efficacy of these inhibitors when combined with the same β-lactam. Methods Three clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae harbouring CTX-M-15 and one Escherichia coli isolate with SHV-12 were examined. Piperacillin MICs were determined by broth dilution using escalating concentrations of tazobactam, relebactam and avibactam. The resulting MICs were characterized as response to inhibitor concentrations using an inhibitory sigmoid Emax model. Using the best-fit parameter values, the model was conditioned with fluctuating inhibitor concentrations to simulate instantaneous MICi profiles for each isolate–inhibitor pair. Using a simulated exposure of 4 g piperacillin every 8 h, %fT > MICi was estimated for each piperacillin/inhibitor combination. A hollowfibre infection model was subsequently used to validate the predicted effectiveness of selected combinations. Results In all scenarios, piperacillin MIC reductions were well characterized with increasing inhibitor concentrations. As predicted by %fT > MICi, combining piperacillin with avibactam (61.4%–73.6%) was found to be superior to tazobactam (13.5%–44.5%) for suppressing bacterial growth over time. Conclusion We illustrated a practical approach to compare the performance of different inhibitors. This platform may be used clinically to identify the optimal pairing of various β-lactams and β-lactamase inhibitors for individual isolates producing ESBLs.
Craving for Introns.

Parenteau et al. (2019) and Morgan et al. (2019) showed that a subset of introns can work as non-coding RNAs that trap the spliceosome and decrease global splicing upon nutrient depletion in yeast, providing a new example of the functionality of introns, molecules that were previously assumed to be useless.
Measurement of PuO2 film thickness by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) calibration curve method

Abstract Plutonium (Pu) surfaces are highly reactive toward oxygen containing species and, therefore, invariably covered with oxides (e.g. PuO2) during transport and handling. The actual thickness of the surface oxide may dictate if a plutonium part is suitable for a certain application. As a result, a cost-effective, quick, non-destructive, yet reliable means to measure the oxide layer thickness formed on Pu samples is desirable. In this study, the cross-sections of a series of room temperature grown oxides on Pu samples were trenched by focus ion beam (FIB) then observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to measure the surface oxide thicknesses, which were then combined with the corresponding oxygen k-ratios provided by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) to form calibration curves. Oxide thickness measurements for the calibration curves were made on samples within the typical SEM observable range for PuO2 (35–400 nm). The portion of the calibration curve in the thinner oxide region (
A comprehensive analysis of the demographics and citation-based productivity of radiation oncologists practicing at comprehensive cancer centers.

11001Background: Academic radiation oncology represents a constantly changing landscape. We sought to determine the demographic makeup of the current academic radiation oncology workforce. Methods:...
The vapor deposition of high specific activity actinides

Abstract We describe the preparation of targets of 233U, 237Np and 239Pu by vapor deposition. A dual glove box system is used for the preparation of the fluorides of these actinides, and the subsequent vapor deposition. The preparation of the actinide fluorides is done by an aqueous precipitation procedure with yields of greater than 90%. The yields of the vapor deposition of the fluorides are ≤ 3%. The characteristics of the targets produced by these techniques are enumerated along with a description of difficulties encountered in setting up these systems.
Primary adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is associated with improved outcomes for patients with Kawasaki disease with coronary artery aneurysms at diagnosis

Objective Patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) with coronary artery enlargement at diagnosis are at the highest risk for persistent coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) and may benefit from primary adjunctive anti-inflammatory therapy beyond intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). We evaluate the effect of primary adjunctive corticosteroid therapy on outcomes in patients with CAA at diagnosis. Design Single-centre, retrospective review. Patients Patients with KD diagnosed within 10 days of fever onset and with baseline CA z-score ≥2.5. Interventions Primary treatment with IVIG (n=162) versus IVIG plus corticosteroids (n=48). Main outcome measures Treatment resistance (persistent fever >36 hours after initial treatment), CAA regression rate. Results Of the 92 patients with KD who received corticosteroids at our institution from 2012 to 2019, 48 met the inclusion criteria for primary adjunctive therapy. The corticosteroid group was younger and had larger baseline CAAs compared with historical controls. Demographics and laboratory values were otherwise similar between groups. The corticosteroid group had a less treatment resistance (4% vs 30%, p=0.003) and a greater improvement in C reactive protein. After adjusting for baseline CA z-score, age and baseline bilateral versus unilateral CAA, the corticosteroid group had a higher odds of (OR 2.77 (1.04, 7.42), p=0.042) and a shorter time to CAA regression (HR 1.94 (1.27, 2.96), p=0.002). Conclusion Primary adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is associated with decreased initial treatment resistance, greater improvement in inflammatory markers and higher likelihood of CAA regression in patients who have CAA at diagnosis. Multi-centre, randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm the benefits of corticosteroids in patients with CAA at diagnosis and to compare corticosteroids with other adjunctive therapies.
Protein Transport Studied by a Model Asymmetric Membrane Army Arranged in a Dimple Chip

Reconstituted model membrane systems are powerful platforms to tackle interesting problems existing in membrane biology. One of the barriers to efficient drug delivery, as therapeutics to disease, is the physical membrane barrier of the cell. Small molecule can typically diffuse through the membrane; however, biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids cannot passively diffuse the bilayer and thus much research has been geared to engineering protein and/or nucleic acids delivery methods. One delivery method uses cell penetrating peptides (CPPs). In this chapter, we introduce the model "membrane army" arranged in dimple chip to study the delivery of β-galactosidase by a CPP known as Pep-1. This method uses droplet interface bilayer technology (DIB). It accelerates the speed to screen through the working conditions in CPP-assisted protein translocations because each chip provides dimples that can accommodate 36 pairs of droplets or 18 model bilayers. We will use one of the successful translocation conditions of β-galactosidase delivery as the example to illustrate how the model "membrane army" is built and utilized.
Alterations in the leaf lipidome of Brassica carinata under high-temperature stress.

Brassica carinata (A) Braun has recently gained increased attention across the world as a sustainable biofuel crop. B. carinata is grown as a summer crop in many regions where high temperature is a significant stress during the growing season. However, little research has been conducted to understand the mechanisms through which this crop responds to high temperatures. Understanding traits that improve the high-temperature adaption of this crop is essential for developing heat-tolerant varieties. This study investigated lipid remodeling in B. carinata in response to high-temperature stress. A commercial cultivar, Avanza 641, was grown under sunlit-controlled environmental conditions in Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Research (SPAR) chambers under optimal temperature (OT; 23/15°C) conditions. At eight days after sowing, plants were exposed to one of the three temperature treatments [OT, high-temperature treatment-1 (HT-1; 33/25°C), and high-temperature treatment-2 (HT-2; 38/30°C)]. The temperature treatment period lasted until the final harvest at 84 days after sowing. Leaf samples were collected at 74 days after sowing to profile lipids using electrospray-ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Temperature treatment significantly affected the growth and development of Avanza 641. Both high-temperature treatments caused alterations in the leaf lipidome. The alterations were primarily manifested in terms of decreases in unsaturation levels of membrane lipids, which was a cumulative effect of lipid remodeling. The decline in unsaturation index was driven by (a) decreases in lipids that contain the highly unsaturated linolenic (18:3) acid and (b) increases in lipids containing less unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic (18:1) and linoleic (18:2) acids and/or saturated fatty acids such as palmitic (16:0) acid. A third mechanism that likely contributed to lowering unsaturation levels, particularly for chloroplast membrane lipids, is a shift toward lipids made by the eukaryotic pathway and the channeling of eukaryotic pathway-derived glycerolipids that are composed of less unsaturated fatty acids into chloroplasts. The lipid alterations appear to be acclimation mechanisms to maintain optimal membrane fluidity under high-temperature conditions. The lipid-related mechanisms contributing to heat stress response as identified in this study could be utilized to develop biomarkers for heat tolerance and ultimately heat-tolerant varieties.
Republished: Unexpected early radiographic findings associated with a ruptured blister-like carotid wall aneurysm

A 33-year-old man presented with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured, blister-type sidewall internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm. Balloon-assisted coiling was performed with residual neck. He subsequently developed severe vasospasm requiring intra-arterial therapies on multiple occasions, during which it was noted that despite widespread vasospasm, a focal segment of the ICA at the site of the aneurysm showed no significant spasm, suggesting underlying vessel abnormality. He was discharged without deficit and scheduled for flow diversion given concern over this potentially pathologic segment of vessel. At time of scheduled flow diversion 6 weeks later, a de novo unstable-appearing 6 mm stalk-like pseudoaneurysm was identified in this segment. Both aneurysms and the diseased vessel were successfully treated with Pipeline stenting, with excellent clinical and angiographic result. This case highlights the need for close angiographic follow-up when there is a heterogeneous vasospastic response in arterial segments adjacent to a ruptured aneurysm.
The Geometry of Numbers: Solutions and Hints

Chapter 1 1 a. y = ⅔ x + ⅕ (because 5 does not divide 3). Other examples are similar. b. (because 3 | 15). ( p 0 , q 0 ) = (5, 1); {( p k , q k ) = (5 + 15 k , 1 + 2 k ), | k is any integer}. 2. Hint: Use the distance formula to find the length d k of the line segment from ( p k -1 , q k -1 ) to ( p k , q k ). If d k is not a function of k , then d k is constant from any point to any adjacent lattice point.
SMT in verification, modeling, and testing at microsoft

The Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solver, Z3 [1], from Microsoft Research is a state-of-the art theorem prover that integrates specialized solvers for domains that are of relevance for program analysis, testing and verification. Z3 has been used within and outside of Microsoft for the past few years including the Windows 7 static driver verifier, the SAGE white-box fuzzer for finding security vulnerabilities, Pex, in a Verifying C Compiler, the Verve verified operating system kernel and the Dafny safe programming language. This talk delves into some of the more recent efforts around Z3, in particular using Z3 in a firewall analysis engine, and adventures in using Z3 for points-to analysis in JavaScript malware detection, and finally emerging support for reachability queries by solving Satisfiability Modulo Theories for Horn clauses. Z3 is joint work with Leonardo de Moura and Christoph Wintersteiger.
Shell Structure Effects in Compressed Aluminum

It is now possible to make equation of state measurements on compressed matter up to pressures in excess of 1 TPa, by carrying out shock compression studies on samples placed in the vicinity of underground explosions [1]. While these shock wave experiments measure very hot samples, current research in laser implosion techniques is aimed at reaching comparable compressions with much lower final temperatures.† This increasing experimental access to TPa and higher pressures provides the theoretician with an impetus to examine the problem of calculating very high pressure equations of state. To date, almost all theoretical determinations in this range have been based on statistical, Thomas-Fermi models [2–4]. The Soviet shock compression work, for example, uses a comparative measurement technique which depends critically on a simplistic extrapolation of experimental data below 1 TPa over an order of magnitude in pressure to the predictions of statistical models above 10 TPa. The major disadvantage of the statistical models is that they ignore the electron shell structure of the atoms. Attempts to correct these models [5] must be considered tentative. A more satisfactory treatment of electrons in solids rigorously including shell structure is the self-consistent augmented-plane-wave (APW) method. This method has become widely used in recent years to calculate T = 0 isotherms and cohesive energies of metals.
The Economics of Betamax: Unauthorized Copying of Advertising Based Television Broadcasts

This paper is an analysis of the economics underlying the Betamax case. It was written in 1985 but never published. With the renewed interest in copying and copyright in recent years, and because it has been cited and appeared on some reading lists, I thought it might be useful to make it available.
System modeling and building energy simulations of gas engine driven heat pump

To improve the system performance of a gas engine driven heat pump system, an analytical modeling and experimental study has been made by using a desiccant system in cooling operation (particularly in high-humidity operations) and suction line waste heat recovery to augment heating capacity and efficiency. The overall performance of a gas engine driven heat pump system has been simulated with a detailed vapor compression heat pump system design model. The modeling includes (1) a gas engine driven heat pump cycle without any performance improvements (suction liquid heat exchange and heat recovery) as a baseline (both in cooling and heating mode), (2) a gas engine driven heat pump cycle in cooling mode with a desiccant system regenerated by waste heat from the engine incorporated, and (3) a gas engine driven heat pump cycle in heating mode with heat recovery (recovered heat from engine). According to the system modeling results, by using the desiccant system, the sensible heat ratio can be lowered to 40%. T...
A new approach to safety in software-intensive systems

Traditional approaches to safety and technical risk management are based on reliability theory and assume accidents are caused by component failure. These approaches, however, do not work well for software-intensive systems (software does not "fail" in the same way as hardware), system accidents (which arise from dysfunctional interactions among components rather than component failures), and risks involving organizational and human decision-making. In this talk I will present a new model of accident causation based on systems theory and new approaches to technical risk analysis and management based on it. An example will be shown of a risk analysis of the NASA Manned Space Program we performed for the NASA Chief Engineer after the Columbia accident.Nancy Leveson is Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Dept. and also Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Prof. Leveson conducts research on the topics of system safety, software safety, software and system engineering and human-computer interaction. In 1999, she received the ACM Allen Newell Award for outstanding computer science research and in 1995 the AIAA Information Systems Award for "developing the field of software safety and for promoting responsible software and system engineering practices where life and property are at stake." This year she received the ACM Sigsoft Outstanding Research Award. She has published over 200 research papers and is author of a book, "Safeware: System Safety and Computers" published by Addison-Wesley.
Oxidation of SO2 by NO2 and air in an aqueous suspension of carbon

A series of experiments has been performed using carbon black as a surrogate for soot particles. Carbon black was suspended in water and gas mixtures were bubbled into the suspensions to observe the effect of carbon particles on the oxidation of SO2 by air and NO2. Identical gas mixtures were bubbled into a black containing only pure water. After exposure each solution was analyzed for pH and sulfate. It was found that NO2 greatly enhances the oxidation of SO2 to sulfate in the presence of carbon black. The amount of sulfate in the blanks was significantly less. Under the conditions of the experiments no saturation of the reaction was observed and SO2 was converted to sulfate even in a highly acid medium (pH not less than 1.5).
Rawls's Religion and Justice

This is a revised version of an essay posted a few months back in which I discuss John Rawls's religious commitments as they developed over the course of his life and how attending to those commitments can inform and deepen our understanding of, and ability critically to evaluate, his political philosophy.
Relation of Extracellular Fluid Volume to Arterial Pressure during Drug-Induced Saluresis

The immediate fall in arterial pressure following furosemide in the 17 hypertensive patients studied was asociated with a decrease in plasma volume, cardiac output, and extracellular fluid volume, and an increase in urinary sodium excretion. A glucose infusion administered at the trough of hypotension in an amount exceeding the urinary output resulted in the return of arterial pressure to control levels in each patient. Although an increase in plasma volume was noted in each patient, it was significantly below control levels. The central venous pressure, cardiac output, and state of negative sodium balance following the glucose infusion remained unchanged, but the extracellular fluid volume had re-expanded. It would seem that the changes in arterial pressure either after furosemide or during the glucose infusion were related to changes in extracellular fluid. The fact that a decreased pressor response to norepinephrine following furosemide was associated with a decrease in extracellular fluid and the fact...
Taking values seriously: Ethical challenges in organ donation and transplantation for critical care professionals

Last year, >28,000 people received organ transplants from >14,000 donors in the United States. Unfortunately, the wait list now tops 91,000, with the gap between recipient needs and available donor organs at around 60,000. This has motivated a host of efforts to increase organ supply, including driver's license and donor registry initiatives, educational and advertising campaigns, and "required request" and mandatory Organ Procurement Organization notification when a patient's death is imminent. Other more controversial efforts to increase the donor pool include expanded criteria for cadaveric donors, such as older or sicker donors and so-called non-heart-beating donation, now referred to as donation after cardiac death. Perhaps the most controversial of all efforts to address the organ shortage have focused on increasing the number of living organ donors, which in 2001 for the first time exceeded the number of cadaveric donors. Critical care professionals know the sad reality behind the statistical scarcity of organ supply. They must manage anxious patients and family members who may be waiting for an organ that never comes, triage patients into and out of the intensive care unit, and work through the propriety of shifting goals from cure to comfort when those same patients deteriorate to the point that transplant may no longer be an appropriate medical option or when a transplant fails. Equally significant ethical challenges arise on the donor side, whether it is working through difficult end-of-life decisions, identifying when to call the organ procurement organization, caring for brain-dead patients, managing a candidate for donation after cardiac death, or caring for a living donor postoperatively. This article discusses some of the difficult ethical challenges raised by organ donation and transplantation for critical care professionals, focusing on end-of-life decision making, donation after cardiac death, and living organ donation.