cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Computational Framework for Uncertainty Quantification and Stochastic Optimization in Unit Commitment With Wind Power Generation

We present a computational framework for integrating a state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction (NWP) model in stochastic unit commitment/economic dispatch formulations that account for wind power uncertainty. We first enhance the NWP model with an ensemble-based uncertainty quantification strategy implemented in a distributed-memory parallel computing architecture. We discuss computational issues arising in the implementation of the framework and validate the model using real wind-speed data obtained from a set of meteorological stations. We build a simulated power system to demonstrate the developments.
Functional assessment of deal pouch-anal anastomotic techniques

Background Recent advances in ileal pouchanal anastomotic (IPAA) technique include the substitution of a double stapled anastomosis for a mucosectomy and hand-sewn pouch-anal anastomosis, and the use of staples to construct a “J” shaped pouch rather than a hand-sewn “S” pouch in most cases. Method To determine the impact these technical changes have had on pouch function, 235 IPAA patients with 15 to 155 months of follow-up (mean 70 months) were interviewed by telephone concerning pouch function and quality of life. Categorical responses were then evaluated by contingency table analysis to detect differences between mucosectomy (n = 157) and nonmucosectomy (n = 80) groups, and between J pouch (n = 50), S pouch with mucosectomy (n = 137), and S pouch nonmucosectomy (n = 30) subgroups. An index encompassing nine functional measures was used to quantify the overall impact of technique changes (optimal score 100). Results Stool frequency for mucosectomy patients was 7.2 movements/24 hours, compared to 7.1 for nonmucosectomy patients. Elimination of a mucosectomy dramatically reduced nocturnal major incontinence ( P ), nocturnal minor incontinence ( P ), daytime minor incontinence ( P = 0.03 ), and daytime pad use ( P = 0.002 ). Nonmucosectomy patients had a better functional index score than had patients with an S pouch, even when only data from nonmucosectomy patients were analyzed (J = 95.5, S = 91.8, P = 0.009). Conclusions Avoidance of a mucosectomy in the performance of an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis does not influence stool frequency but does significantly improve fecal continence and introduces no detectable morbidity associated with the retained rectal mucosa.
Testing the museum versus cradle tropical biological diversity hypothesis: phylogeny, diversification, and ancestral biogeographic range evolution of the ants.

Ants are one of the most ecologically and numerically dominant group of terrestrial organisms with most species diversity currently found in tropical climates. Several explanations for the disparity of biological diversity in the tropics compared to temperate regions have been proposed including that the tropics may act as a “museum” where older lineages persist through evolutionary time or as a “cradle” where new species continue to be generated. We infer the molecular phylogenetic relationships of 295 ant specimens including members of all 21 extant subfamilies to explore the evolutionary diversification and biogeography of the ants. By constraining the topology and age of the root node while using 45 fossils as minimum constraints, we converge on an age of 139–158 Mya for the modern ants. Further diversification analyses identified 10 periods with a significant change in the tempo of diversification of the ants, although these shifts did not appear to correspond to ancestral biogeographic range shifts. Likelihood-based historical biogeographic reconstructions suggest that the Neotropics were important in early ant diversification (e.g., Cretaceous). This finding coupled with the extremely high-current species diversity suggests that the Neotropics have acted as both a museum and cradle for ant diversity.
Segmentation of Noisy Laser-Scanner Generated Meshes With Piecewise Polynomial Approximations

Laser scanners offer a fast and simple way of collecting large amounts of geometric data from real-world objects. Although this aspect makes them attractive for design and reverse engineering, the laser-scanner data is often noisy and not partitioned into meaningful surfaces. A good partitioning, or segmentation, of the scanner data has uses including feature detection, surface boundary generation, surface fitting, and surface reconstruction. This paper presents a method for segmenting noisy three-dimensional surface meshes created from laser-scanned data into distinct regions closely approximated by explicit surfaces. The algorithm first estimates mesh curvatures and noise levels and then uses the curvature data to construct seed regions around each vertex. If a seed region meets certain criteria, it is assigned a region number and is grown into a set of connected vertices approximated by a bicubic polynomial surface. All the vertices in a region are within known distance and surface normal tolerances from their underlying surface approximations. The algorithm works on noisy or smooth data and requires little or no user interaction. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the segmentation on real-world examples.
When Nabokov Writes Badly: Aesthetics and Morality in Laughter in the Dark

This article explores the role of bad writing in Nabokov's work, examining in particular the tension between morality and aesthetics in Laughter in the Dark, a novel that Nabokov made more aesthetically spare in his rendition of its Russian forerunner (Kamera obscura) into English. The novel should be read as a polemic with Tolstoy's manifesto on “good,” “bad,” “fake” and “perverted” art, Chto takoe iskusstvo? Although several scholars have already discussed the place of Anna Karenina in Nabokov's novel, this article investigates that dynamic in far greater depth and suggests that Nabokov used Tolstoy's masterpiece as part of an attempt to undermine his predecessor's prescriptions for art. In drawing on Anna Karenina as a touchstone for his novel, Nabokov essentially took Tolstoy's criteria for identifying fake art and used them as the basis for his own flirtation with bad writing. This article shows that in Laughter in the Dark, Nabokov had already embarked on his mission to “kick the glorified soapbox from under [Tolstoy's] sandaled feet and then lock him up in a stone house on a desert island with gallons of ink and reams of paper–far away from the things, ethical and pedagogical, that diverted his attention from observing the way the dark hair curled above Anna's white neck.” The result is a cross-examination of Tolstoy by the use of his own novel, an interrogation that celebrates Tolstoy's mature artistry while mocking his overripe aesthetics.
Acute Carotid Occlusion Alters the Activation Flow Coupling Response to Forepaw Stimulation in a Rat Model

Background and Purpose—To determine whether the hemodynamic response to functional stimulation is sensitive to proximal arterial occlusion, we measured the activation flow coupling response in a rat model of acute reversible vascular occlusion. Methods—In α-chloralose–anesthetized rats (n=18), laser Doppler measurements were made through a thinned skull over the somatosensory cortex in response to electrical forepaw stimulation. Signal-averaged responses to 4 and 8 seconds of electrical forepaw stimulation were obtained before, during, and shortly after acute unilateral or bilateral carotid occlusion produced with the use of a surgically placed snare. Results—Baseline cerebral blood flow was significantly decreased over the forepaw region of the somatosensory cortex after both occlusion of the carotid contralateral to the stimulated forepaw and bilateral occlusion compared with preocclusion (P<0.05). Postocclusion and ipsilateral occlusion led to a nonsignificant increase in baseline cerebral blood flow c...
Restoration of patency in failing tunneled hemodialysis catheters: a comparison of catheter exchange, exchange and balloon disruption of the fibrin sheath, and femoral stripping.

PURPOSE To compare median patency times after treatment of malfunctioning tunneled hemodialysis catheters by one of three techniques: over-the-wire catheter exchange (CE), fibrin sheath stripping (FSS) from a femoral vein approach, and over-the-wire catheter removal with balloon dilation of fibrin sheath (DFS) followed by catheter replacement with use of the same tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective study was conducted of 66 consecutive procedures performed over a period of 47 months for poor flow through tunneled hemodialysis catheters despite tissue plasminogen activator infusion trials (CE, n = 33; FSS, n = 18; DFS, n = 15). Baseline parameters (time since initial catheter placement, number of previous catheter interventions, catheter access site, and patient age and sex) were recorded to identify possible pretreatment differences among groups. Outcome comparison was based on duration of adequate catheter function on dialysis during follow-up. RESULTS No significant differences in baseline parameters were identified among the three groups ( P > .05). Mean follow-up duration (67 ± 89 days; range, 0–398 d) was similar among the three groups. The immediate technical success rate was 100%, and there were no complications. Cumulative catheter patency rates were 73% (CE), 72% (FSS), and 65% (DFS) at 1 month; 43% (CE), 60% (FSS), and 39% (DFS) at 3 months; and 28% (CE), 45% (FSS), and 39% (DFS) at 6 months. Median duration of patency was similar among groups ( P = .60). CONCLUSIONS All three therapies were equivalent in terms of immediate technical success, complication rates, and durability of catheter function during later follow-up. Hence, when one technique is chosen over another, factors other than the period of secondary patency should be considered, such as cost and patient and physician preference.
THERAPY OF OCULAR FUNGAL INFECTIONS

Therapy of ocular fungal infections represents a challenge for the ophthalmic clinician. Although ocular fungal infections are relatively uncommon in developed countries compared with bacterial infections, the need for improved antifungal therapy is emphasized by the potentially poor clinical outcomes in patients with severe ocular mycoses. An increased number of fungal infections of the eye have been reported in the past few decades, in part, because of increased clinical awareness and improved laboratory techniques. The increase reflects more significantly the widespread use of antibiotics, immunosuppression, chemotherapy, and ocular prosthetic devices. Although the number of cases of ocular mycoses have increased, the number of antifungal agents available for therapy are few, given the number of fungal pathogens capable of infecting the eye. Current treatment for systemic fungal infections is not always sufficiently effective for ocular mycoses. The slower research and development progress in antifungal therapy compared with antibacterial therapy stems from the fact that fungal cells, unlike bacteria, are eukaryotic, so any drug that is toxic to fungal cells could potentially exert similar effects on mammalian cells. There also has been less financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in the development of ocular antifungal agents. Fungal infections can involve various regions of the eye and periocular tissues, including the lacrimal apparatus, conjunctiva, eyelids, and bony orbit. The two most common sites for fungal infections of the eye are the cornea and retina or vitreous. Successful medical treatment of fungal keratitis and endophthalmitis depends not only on the spectrum of antifungal activity of the particular drug but also on the pharmacokinetic properties of the agent (i.e., its ability to achieve therapeutic concentrations in the cornea or vitreous). This article reviews the antifungal agents currently available and under development for use in therapy of ocular fungal infections.
The role of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitors in the treatment of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: risks, benefits, and management.

Statins fail to adequately reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, requiring these patients to undergo weekly or bi-weekly sessions of LDL apheresis. Although efficacious, LDL apheresis is an invasive procedure with high cost and low availability, and additional options, such as inhibitors of microsomal transfer protein (MTP), may have benefit. Inhibition of MTP reduces levels of circulating cholesterol and triglycerides by preventing the formation of very-low-density lipoprotein and chylomicrons. LDL-C levels decrease by as much as 50 %. Unfortunately, adverse effects—the most common of which are gastrointestinal-related and hepatic lipid accumulation—limit broader use of the drug. Furthermore, the cardiovascular benefit of MTP inhibition remains unclear. However, MTP inhibition offers a viable additional lipid-lowering option for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.
Climate-Change Effects on Soils: Accelerated Weathering, Soil Carbon, and Elemental Cycling

Abstract Climate change (i.e., high atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations (≥400 ppm); increasing air temperatures (2–4 °C or greater); significant and/or abrupt changes in daily, seasonal, and interannual temperature; changes in the wet/dry cycles; intensive rainfall and/or heavy storms; extended periods of drought; extreme frost; heat waves and increased fire frequency) is and will significantly affect soil properties and fertility, water resources, food quantity and quality, and environmental quality. Biotic processes that consume atmospheric CO 2 and create organic carbon (C) that is either reprocessed to CO 2 or stored in soils, are the subject of active current investigations with great concern over the influence of climate change. In addition, abiotic C cycling and its influence on the inorganic C pool in soils is a fundamental global process in which acidic atmospheric CO 2 participates in the weathering of carbonate and silicate minerals, ultimately delivering bicarbonate and Ca 2+ or other cations that precipitate in the form of carbonates in soils or are transported to the rivers, lakes, and oceans. Soil responses to climate change will be complex, and there are many uncertainties and unresolved issues. The objective of the review is to initiate and further stimulate a discussion about some important and challenging aspects of climate-change effects on soils, such as accelerated weathering of soil minerals and resulting C and elemental fluxes in and out of soils, soil/geo-engineering methods used to increase C sequestration in soils, soil organic matter (SOM) protection, transformation and mineralization, and SOM temperature sensitivity. This review reports recent discoveries and identifies key research needs required to understand the effects of climate change on soils.
The signature of starvation: A comparison of bone processing at a Chinese encampment in Montana and the donner party camp in California

Analysis of faunal remains from the historic China Gulch site in western Montana have shed light on behavioral strategies deployed by a marginalized population in a relatively undocumented historical context. China Gulch is a site where Chinese miners set up a temporary shelter after they were ostracized by white miners. Small bone fragments recovered at the site near a hearth suggest that the group underwent nutritional stress. The faunal remains were analyzed for evidence of butchering and processing following methods used to assess the bone recovered at the Donner Party Alder Creek campsite. The China Gulch findings were compared to the processing patterns identified at the Donner site to further support skeletal evidence for a qualitative signature of starvation.
Permits, Property, and Planning in the 21st Century: Habitat as Survival and Beyond

In our legal tradition there are permits and there is property and they are like oil and water. The norms, institutions, and agents of one seem antagonistic — even antithetical — to the other. Property is reliable, tangible, and intimately bound up with one’s autonomy, one’s severability from society. Government permissions, by contrast, are fleeting, revocable, and inherently social. They are the mechanism of choice by which individual plans for assets are filtered and reconciled with collective needs. If we are to get around the impasses we have reached today in protecting nature’s composition and function, however, we must strive to better combine permits and property and leave behind exactly the sort of distinctions we now use in differentiating permits from property. In this piece, I argue that our instinctual distrust of lumping property and permits together ought not to inhibit us from exploring why or how permissions and property are comparable. Property rights in our legal system are bi-modal: they secure privileges, powers, and immunities as against other agents within a legal jurisdiction while simultaneously doing so separately against the agents of that legal jurisdiction. Ownership works its magic in part by securing to owners a subordinate form of sovereignty: standard, recognizable forms of dominion that order behaviors without the need for constant recourse to fine print. And property’s bimodality — its nature as right in rem and as right against government — invariably chills discussions of making government permissions more “like” property. Modeling Endangererd Species Act (ESA) habitat permissions after property, however, might paradoxically empower our government agencies to protect more habitat more effectively over the long term and at broader scales, in good part because doing so could: (1) simplify the mechanics of creating, adjusting, and reordering these managerial permissions; (2) enhance market and non-market actors’ capacities to assess, compare, and benchmark their own (often quite disparate) conservation actions and plans; and (3) better standardize the risks being shifted by the permissions the government has created. Given our diversity of owners and regulators, the core challenge we face in the looming crisis of habitat loss and disturbance is enabling and prompting broader-scale cooperation. The ESA permissions that the government has been generating are, in a nutshell, too small, too customized, too opaque, and too bound up with the highly imperfect information that happens to be available at their origination. If they were modeled to function more like property, they would be more standardized, more recordable and searchable, more legally explicit, and likely more interchangeable and exchangeable as such.
Sound Recording and Reproduction

This invention relates to sound recording and reproducing apparatus and particularly to a system wherein wave form distortion, caused by overshooting the maximum limit of the recording medium or non-linearity from other causes such as improper processing, non-uniform illumination across the...
A Review of Malpractice and Product Liability Actions Involving Drugs

This book fills a need for lawyers as a source for reports of drug liability actions. It deserves a special thanks for the compilation of a wealth of factual information scattered throughout the literature and the law prior to 1975. It is superbly indexed, giving both the trade name and the generic. The problems presented are far from solved, and this book spotlights the questions as well as provides some answers.
Stereoselective analysis of D and L dansyl amino acids as the mixed chelate copper(II) complexes by HPLC

This paper reviews the mixed chelation approach to resolution of the optical isomers of D and L dansyl amino acids by high performance liquid chromatography. The use of eluants containing Cu(II) complexes of L-proline, L-arginine, L-histidine, and L-histidine methyl ester effected the separation of many D and L amino acids, including those with aliphatic, polar, and aromatic substituents. The mechanism of separation, which is based on the preferential ternary complex formation of the analyte amino acid and the chiral chelate with Cu(II) in the mobile phase, is discussed. The stereoselectivity depends mainly on the different steric interactions between the alkyl side chains of the amino acid analytes and the chiral ligands coordinating around Cu(II), although such parameters as pH, temperature, organic modifier, and concentration of the chiral additive also affect the chromatographic separation. Among the chiral ligands studied, L-histidine methyl ester is unique in that it possesses both achiral selectivity for the dansyl amino acids and chiral selectivity for the respective D and L enantiomers. With a mobile phase gradient of acetonitrile in a buffer containing Cu(II) L-histidine methyl ester complex, a stereoselective procedure was devised for the analysis of D and L amino acid enantiomers, achieving the separation that the current amino acid analyzer could not perform. Finally, the use of the mixed chelation approach in two biomedical studies is described. In the first application, the histidine methyl ester gradient was adapted for analyzing amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid; in the second, an L-aspartame Cu(II) complex eluant was developed for measuring the urine concentration of D and L pipecolic acid (piperidine-2-carboxylic acid), a metabolite of lysine.
Determination Of Soil Magnetic Susceptibility From Electromagnetic Induction Measurements

Knowledge of the magnetic susceptibility of soils is of primary importance in three subsets of geophysics: archaeology, landmine detection and unexploded ordnance detection. Current methodology involves making a number of in-situ point measurements or collecting soil samples at point locations for later laboratory analysis. Magnetic susceptibility data would be more useful if it could be measured at a higher spatial density, both horizontally and vertically. The long term goal of this project is to invert electromagnetic induction (EMI) data to determine the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility. As an initial study, in-situ magnetic susceptibility measurements were collected with three instruments (ZH Instruments SM-30, Geonics EM38B and Bartington MS2 D & F) at two meter spacing along a 100 meter transect. Surface soil samples were collected at each location and analyzed in the laboratory with the Bartington MS2B. Electrical resistivity data (AGI SuperSting R8) and EMI data (DualEM-4S, Geonics EM31 & EM38B, and Geophex GEM-2) were also collected along the line. The question to be answered is, can in-phase EMI data be used as a proxy for magnetic susceptibility point measurements or will a more advance inversion model be required to extract this information.
Domestic contexts for response to global HIV/AIDS in France: Perception, media role and civil society

France showed incremental increases in foreign aid for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) with the slope being steeper than Japan but being gentler than the United States in the 1980s. The intermediacy in the behavioral pattern was conditioned by domestic social and cultural determinants that constituted the understanding and the view of the impacts and the implications of the epidemic among the public and the policymakers. The newly emerged epidemic was distinctively framed and understood as ‘gay disease’, ‘social phenomenon’ and ‘national cause’. The research traces the process in which such determinants as the number of HIV-infected, role of the media and activism of civil society organizations shaped the perception of HIV/AIDS as something that needed to be publicly discussed and immediately responded at the national level.
SURVEY ON KNOWLEDGE,ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS TOWARDS HIV/AIDS AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN FUNAN COUNTY ANHUI PROVINCE

Objective:To investigate knowledge,attitude and behaviors towards HIV/AIDS among middle school students and explore effective health education to them.Methods:Six hundred middle school students were investigated with an anonymous questionnaire.Results:The rate of correct response towards HIV/AIDS was 52.2%;the scores of senior students were generally higher than those of the junior students.The scores about the routes of HIV/AIDS transmission were conspicuously higher than those about the non-transmission routes.The scores for the attitude towards HIV/AIDS were lower.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed experiences of receiving publicity education on HIV/AIDS and age were associated with general knowledge of HIV/AIDS.Conclusion:It is necessary to strengthen HIV/AIDS related health education for middle school students.
Reconstruction following head and neck burns.

Optimal reconstruction of burns of the head and neck requires a carefully planned and executed program of therapy from the time of initial injury onward, often over many years. Acute and reconstructive therapeutic techniques are discussed with special attention to various burn problem areas. The concept of the aesthetic units is emphasized.
UNESCO: a future hanging in the balance

An American Academy study documents the ‘politicization’ of vital United Nations technical agency
Effects of four commercial fungal formulations on mortality and sporulation in house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans).

The house fly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) and stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) are major pests of livestock. Biological control is an important tool in an integrated control framework. Increased mortality in filth flies has been documented with entomopathogenic fungi, several strains of which are commercially available. Three strains of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) and one strain of Metarhizium brunneum (Petch) (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) were tested in commercial formulations for pathogenicity against house flies and stable flies. There was a significant increase in mortality of house flies with three of the formulations, BotaniGard® ES, Mycotrol® O, and Met52® EC, during days 4–9 in comparison with balEnce™ and the control. In stable flies, mortality rates were highest with Met52® EC, followed by Mycotrol® O, BotaniGard® ES and, finally, balEnce™. There was a significant fungal effect on sporulation in both house flies and stable flies. Product formulation, species differences and fungal strains may be responsible for some of the differences observed. Future testing in field situations is necessary. These commercial biopesticides may represent important tools in integrated fly management programmes.
Causes and cures XIII: Global medicine approaches

Abstract The past several years have been a landmark moment for violence prevention, with renewed attention on the part of many international agencies, but especially the United Nations, with its adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . The latter invites the world community to collaborate in an inclusive, long-ranging vision for the future, highlighting our interdependence and collective responsibility for humanity's future. A growing awareness that preventing violence does not just reduce death and disability but promotes creativity, economic growth, and general well-being is at the heart of this “movement”. An integration not only of the major disciplines but of various practical approaches is timely, and for this to occur, we require a broader overview of our existing societal structures. In this context, this fifteen article series modeled after a Global Health Studies course entitled, “Violence: Causes and Cures,” reviews the mechanisms that society has used in an attempt to stem violence. Following the article on public health, which has established that violence is preventable, this paper examines the approaches of global medicine, which begins with the local and human aspects of medical care. A model of compassion, altruism, respect, and encouragement is proposed for a person-centered, humanistic approach. Taking into account human suffering, principles of caregiving, cultural and religious sensitivity, and fostering of resilience and creativity is urgently needed in an increasingly globalizing world.
Triage Patterns of Traumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Is Referral to a Tertiary Care Center Necessary?

Objective Isolated traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (iTSAH) in mild head injuries has more evidence that triage to a tertiary care facility, intensive care unit admission, and repeat imaging is not warranted. Certain factors were identified that predict radiographic and clinical progression in hopes of preventing avoidable cost, which occur with transfer and subsequent management. Methods A retrospective analysis identified 67 patients transferred between January 2010 and December 2014 who met inclusion criteria. Primary outcomes assessing neurosurgical intervention, radiographic, and clinical progression were documented. Secondary outcomes included any operative intervention, length of stay, standardized hospital costs, disposition at discharge, and 30-day mortality. Results The mean age of the cohort was 67.7 ± 16.4 years, with most patients (82.1%) having a Glasgow coma score of 15. Warfarin was used in 10 patients (14.9%), although 55.2% were on an antiplatelet or anticoagulation agent. No patient required neurosurgical intervention. One patient, on clopidogrel (Plavix) and warfarin, neurologically declined with radiographic progression. Older age seem to correlate with radiographic progression ( P = 0.05). Dementia ( P = 0.05) as well as warfarin use ( P = 0.06) correlated with clinical progression. Cost in patients without other injuries was associated with warfarin use ( P = 0.0002), injury severity scores ( P = 0.01), and initial Glasgow coma score ( P = 0.0003) on multivariate analysis. Conclusions In this series of patients with mild traumatic brain injury, the rate of neurological deterioration due to expansion of iTSAH in patients is low, regardless of the use of antiplatelets/anticoagulants. Triage to a tertiary care facility generally is not warranted and can prove costly to patients with iTSAH without other injures.
Sry Gene Drive for Rodent Control: Reply to Gemmell and Tompkins.

We would like to thank Gemmell and Tompkins for their interest and comments on the article by Piaggio et al. [1]. The issues raised by Gemmell and Tompkins [2] are very pertinent, and they correctly identified that the format of the article did not lend itself to a comprehensive discussion of the ideas of using gene drives in mice. The method being considered in the Piaggio et al. article is to utilize a naturally occurring t-allele transgene (Tg) to sex-bias a mouse population, causing it to crash.
Autism presenting in the context of a genetic variant of CFTR and early HSV exposure confounded by chronic pain, altered gut microbiota and paternal abandonment; limitations of current pharmacotherapy and barriers to personalized treatment recommendations

Abstract A 14year old boy presented with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a history of chronic pancreatitis due to a genetic variant of the gene for the "Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ( CFTR )" that necessitated pancreatectomy. The patient also had a history of intrauterine exposure to Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). He presented with severe ritualistic behaviors and aggressive reactions to their prevention. His clinical presentation was confounded by the history of chronic peritoneal pain, GI disturbance, altered gut microbiota due to chronic treatment with antibiotics, and paternal abandonment. The patient requires self-administration of insulin every three hours. The patient's presentation highlights complex interactions between biological and psychosocial variables. Additionally, the history draws attention to the role CFTR plays in fetal brain development, and raises the possibility that a genetic variant at this locus interacts with early HSV infection, contributing to the pathogenesis of ASD. Unfortunately, current pharmacotherapeutic strategies for ASD target symptoms and do not address underlying etiologies or pathogenic mechanisms.
Factors Contributing to Teachers’ Inclusion of Music Composition Activities in the School Orchestra Curriculum:

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing teachers’ inclusion of music composition activities in the school orchestra curriculum. Specific research questions included: 1) Wha...
Kurative Keratoplastik und Vitrektomie bei Keratitis mit Endophthalmitis

Hintergrund Die gleichzeitige fulminante stromale Keratitis und Endophthalmitis bei fehlender hinterer Linsenkapsel fuhrt in der Regel zur sofortigen Enukleation. 1st die Anwendung aller heutigen technischen Moglichkeiten bei bestimmten Patienten gerechtfertigt?
The Balanced Scorecard beyond Adoption

ABSTRACT Utilizing the theoretical underpinnings of the actor-network theory (ANT) and neo-institutional theory, we develop and test a model of the relationship between organizational culture and t...
The impact of 1998 Massachusetts gun laws on suicide: A synthetic control approach

Abstract In 1998 Massachusetts enacted nearly two dozen gun laws. Using the synthetic control method, we find evidence that these laws led to reduced overall suicide rates for several years, and a sustained reduction in suicides carried out with a firearm.
The impact of parental primary language on communication in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Language barriers contribute to suboptimal healthcare delivery. We sought to explore disparities in communication between English and Spanish-speaking parents and their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) providers. We compared English-speaking versus Spanish-speaking parents’ understanding of their infant’s diagnosis through a structured interview. Spanish-speaking parents were four times (RR 4.0, 95% CI: 1.5, 11.0; p = 0.004) more likely to incorrectly identify their child’s diagnosis than English-speaking parents. Spanish speakers also self-reported lower understanding of NICU interventions. Physicians provided updates to Spanish-speaking parents in their native language only 39% of the time. Spanish-speaking NICU parents more commonly misunderstood aspects of their child’s care than did English-speaking parents. Providers’ failed to communicate with Spanish-speaking families in their native language the majority of the time. Additional research is needed to assess the barriers to effective communication between NICU providers and Spanish-speaking parents.
Cation binding to SERCA

Abstract Sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is a transmembrane pump that plays an important role in transporting calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). While calcium (Ca2+) binds SERCA with micromolar affinity, magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) also compete with calcium (Ca2+) binding. However, the molecular bases for these competing ions’ influence on SERCA function and the selectivity of the pump for Ca2+ are not well-established. We therefore used in silico methods to resolve molecular determinants of cation binding in the canonical site I and II Ca2+ binding sites: 1) triplicate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of Mg2+, Ca2+and K+-bound SERCA. 2) mean spherical approximation (MSA) theory to determine the affinity and selectivity of cation binding to the MD-resolved structures and 3) state models of SERCA turnover informed from MSA-derived affinity data. Our key findings are that a) coordination at sites I and II are optimized for Ca2+and to a lesser extent for Mg2+ and K+, as determined by MD-derived cation-amino acid oxygen and bound water configurations, b) the impaired coordination and high desolvation cost for Mg2+ precludes favorable Mg2+ binding relative to Ca2+, while K+ has limited capacity to bind site I, c) Mg2+ most likely acts as inhibitor and K+ as intermediate in SERCA’s reaction cycle, based on a best-fit state model of SERCA turnover. These findings provide a quantitative basis for SERCA function that leverages molecular-scale thermodynamic data and rationalize enzyme activity across broad ranges of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations.
Quality Parent–Child Relationships: The Role of Parenting Style and Online Relational Maintenance Behaviors

This study examined the quality of parent–child relationships as a function of both parenting style and online relational maintenance behaviors. Five hundred and four parents completed measures of ...
The Energy Crisis: An Opportunity for Meaningful Arithmetical Excursions.

Classroom teachers throughout the nation will no doubt encourage students to discuss and research various ramifications of the shortage and begin to detail the implications for each and every one of us. Mathematics can provide an added dimension to such activities, for only through a quantitative analysis of the current situation can one begin to understand both the extent of the shortage and the magnitude of the energy-reducing measures required to counteract it. For example, school children can be asked to determine the level of energy consumption in their own homes. Such an activity will also provide valuable experience with the collection and manipulation of gathered data in what is hoped will be a meaningful situation. For comparison purposes it is necessary for students to have access to baseline data.
Rare Lung Disease Research: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Commitment to Partnership and Progress.

The NHLBI’s DLD oversees research programs encompassing numerous rare lung diseases and is firmly committed to supporting research across the spectrum of basic science to clinical observational studies and interventional trials conducted by investigators at all career stages. Although most rare lung diseases research funded by the DLD stems from investigator-initiated applications in response to parent funding opportunity announcements, several successful institute-initiated rare lung diseases research programs demonstrate the DLD’s sustained commitment toward improving outcomes in rare lung diseases. With the promise of exciting technologic advances, the existence of novel funding opportunities for a cadre of skilled investigators, and the collaborative efforts of relevant advocacy groups and consortia, the goal to accelerate scientific research and improve outcomes in rare lung diseases is being realized.
ADC Quantization with Overlapping Metastability Zones and Dual Reference Calibration

This paper presents a new ADC quantization method using overlapping metastability zones with dual reference metastability zone detectors. Dual reference calibration is proposed to define both the upper bound and the lower bound of each metastability zone. Therefore, the metastability zones are defined with higher precision, and the ADC can resolve finer input voltage differences for a smaller input LSB voltage. A 2GS/s, 6 bit flash ADC in 0.13μm BiCMOS technology was designed using the proposed quantization method. Simulation results show that the ADC can achieve 5mV input LSB, 35.16 dB SNDR at low frequency, and 34.8 dB SNDR at Nyquist rate, while consuming 62mW.
Mechanical hole-burning spectroscopy of PMMA deep in the glassy state

Nonlinear mechanics of soft materials such as polymer melts or polymer solutions are frequently investigated by Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear (LAOS) spectroscopy tests. Less work has been reported on the characterization of the nonlinear viscoelastic properties of glassy polymers within a similar framework. In the present work, we use an extension of LAOS, i.e., mechanical spectral hole burning (MSHB), to investigate the nonlinear dynamics of an amorphous polymer in the deep glassy state. MSHB was developed as an analog to non-resonant spectral hole burning developed by Schiener et al. [Science 274(5288), 752–754 (1996)], who attributed the presence of holes to dynamic heterogeneity. On the other hand, Qin et al. [J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 47(20), 2047–2062 (2009)] in work on polymer solutions of tailored heterogeneity have attributed the presence of holes to the type of dynamics (Rouse, rubbery, etc.) rather than to a specific spatial heterogeneity. Here, we have performed MSHB experiments on poly(methyl methacrylate) in the deep glassy state (at ambient temperature, which is near to the β-relaxation) to investigate the presence and origin of holes, if any. The effects of pump frequency and pump amplitude were investigated, and we find that vertical holes could be burned successfully for frequencies from 0.0098 Hz to 0.0728 Hz and for pump amplitudes from 2% to 9% strain. On the other hand, horizontal holes were incomplete at high pump amplitude and low frequency, where higher spectral modification is observed. The results are interpreted as being related to the dynamic heterogeneity corresponding to the β-relaxation rather than to the hysteresis energy absorbed in the large deformation pump.
Moving to Remote Instruction in Organic Chemistry II Laboratories

The Spring 2020 semester students were faced with the challenge of adjusting how they learned in the middle of the semester, as the situation changed from instructors holding group office hours and study sessions for the upcoming midterm exams to faculty and students scrambling to gather their belongings before the impending lockdown. Immediately before spring break, instructors and students were notified that all classes would be moving to a remote-teaching model for the remainder of the semester. While the move was challenging for lecture courses, moving the second semester of organic chemistry laboratory proved to be a daunting task. The process was made simpler by considering ways to reduce the cognitive load on our students. The laboratories would focus on the major student learning outcomes, and the existing classroom management system (CMS) would be used to provide online worksheets, quizzes, and discussion boards. Specific focus was directed to compound identification using spectroscopy and the physical components of the laboratory setting. Here we present the method that we employed and the results of transitioning our organic chemistry laboratory to an online platform. Additionally, we provide some recommendations to instructors faced with making this transition in the future.
Role of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues in the binding of factor IXa to platelets and in factor-X activation.

To study the requirements for factor-IXa binding to platelets and factor-X activation, we examined the consequences of chemical modification (factor IXMOD) or enzymatic removal (factor IXDES) of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues. In the presence of factor VIIIa and factor X, there were 344 (+/- 52) binding sites/platelet for factor IXaMOD (apparent dissociation constant [kdapp] = 4.5 +/- 0.9 nmol/L) and 275 (+/- 35) sites/platelet for factor IXaDES (kdapp = 5.0 +/- 0.8 nmol/L) compared with 580 (+/-65) sites/platelet for normal factor IXa (factor IXaN) (kdapp = 0.61 +/- 0.1 nmol/L) and 300 (+/-62) sites/platelet for factor IX (kdapp = 2.9 +/- 0.29 nmol/L). The concentrations of factor IXaN, factor IXaMOD and factor IXaDES required for half-maximal rates of factor-Xa formation were 0.67 nmol/L, 3.5 nmol/L, and 6.7 nmol/L. Whereas maximal velocities (Vmax) of factor Xa formation by factor IXaMOD (approximately 0.8 nmol/L.min-1) and factor IXaN (approximately 10.5 nmol/L.min-1), turnover numbers (kcat expressed as moles of factor Xa formed per minute per mole of factor IXa bound), and values of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) were normal, indicating that the decreased rates of factor X activation observed with factor IXaMOD and factor IXaDES are solely a consequence of the abnormal binding of these proteins to thrombin-activated platelets in the presence of factor VIIIa and factor X. Thus, factor IXa binding to platelets is mediated in part, but not exclusively, by high-affinity Ca2+ binding sites in the Gla domain of factor IX.
Light-emitting diode-based transcranial photoacoustic measurement of sagittal sinus oxyhemoglobin saturation in hypoxic neonatal piglets

We present a light-emitting diode (LED)-based transcranial photoacoustic measurement (LED-trPA) of oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) saturation at superior sagittal sinus (SSS) in hypoxic neonatal piglets. The optimal LED imaging wavelengths and frame averaging scheme were determined based on in vivo characterization of transcranial sensitivity. Based on the framework (690/850 nm with >20 frame averaging), graded hypoxia was successfully identified in neonatal piglets in vivo with less than 10.0 % of root mean squared error (RMSE). This preclinical study suggests the feasibility of a rapid, cost-effective, and safe LED-trPA monitoring of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia and prompt interventions for clinical use.
Fracture risk assessment (FRAX) without BMD and risk of major osteoporotic fractures in adults with type 1 diabetes.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the association between Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) without bone mineral density (BMD) and risk for major osteoporotic fractures (MOF) in type 1 diabetes. Methods Subjects with type 1 diabetes and without diabetes from the ‘Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 1 Diabetes’ study were included. Risk for MOF was calculated using FRAX-based clinical risk factors and without BMD at visit 3 (2006–2008). Incident fractures were defined as fractures that occurred between visit 3 and visit 4 (2013–2017). Survival models were used to study the predictability of new MOF by diabetes status. Results 346 type 1 diabetes (mean age 43.3 ± 9, BMI 26.4 ± 5, diabetes duration 29.4 ± 8.6 years, A1c 7.8 ± 1.1) and 411 controls (mean age 46.9 ± 9 years, BMI 26.3 ± 5 kg/m2, A1c 5.5 ± 0.4) were analyzed in this study. In unadjusted survival analysis, the FRAX score without BMD was significantly associated with MOF (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04–1.13, p Conclusion Clinical use of FRAX without BMD is useful tool in identifying adults with type 1 diabetes at higher risk for MOF risk and may help clinicians to guide therapeutic decision-making in this high fracture risk population.
Bereaved Family More Likely to Report "Too Little" Care than "Too Much" Care at the End of Life.

Background: An often-stated concern is that dying persons receive too much aggressive medical care. Objective: Examine next-of-kin perceptions of the amount of medical care received in the last mon...
County-level Social Vulnerability is Associated With Worse Surgical Outcomes Especially Among Minority Patients.

OBJECTIVE We sought to characterize the association between patient county-level vulnerability with postoperative outcomes. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Although the impact of demographic-, clinical- and hospital-level factors on outcomes following surgery have been examined, little is known about the effect of a patient's community of residence on surgical outcomes. METHODS Individuals who underwent colon resection, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), lung resection, or lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR) were identified in the 2016 to 2017 Medicare database, which was merged with Center for Disease Control social vulnerability index (SVI) dataset at the beneficiary level of residence. Logistic regression models were utilized to estimate the probability of postoperative complications, mortality, readmission, and expenditures. RESULTS Among 299,583 Medicare beneficiary beneficiaries who underwent a colectomy (n = 88,778, 29.6%), CABG (n = 109,564, 36.6%), lung resection (n = 30,401, 10.1%), or LEJR (n = 70,840, 23.6%).Mean SVI score was 50.2 (standard deviation: (25.2); minority patients were more likely to reside in highly vulnerable communities (low SVI: n = 3531, 5.8% vs high SVI: n = 7895, 13.3%; P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Patients residing in vulnerable communities characterized by a high SVI generally had worse postoperative outcomes. The impact of social vulnerability was most pronounced among Black/minority patients, rather than White individuals. Efforts to ensure equitable surgical outcomes need to focus on both patient-level, as well as community-specific factors.