cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Islamic Law and Adoptions

Throughout history, adoption has held a contentious and ambiguous role in the social imagination of many cultures. Adoption is a complex social, legal, and economic phenomenon that has existed in one form or another in most societies since ancient history. Religion has served to both advance and restrict adoption and similar childcare arrangements. Some religions have encouraged adoptions, others have initially been interpreted to restrict them, and yet others continue to restrict or advocate alternative arrangements. The belief that closed adoption, as practiced in the West, is the only acceptable form of permanent childcare is a significant obstacle to its acceptance among many Muslims. Adoption rights activists—and prospective adopters—have struggled to find ways around the difficulties this simple binary view causes for the millions of children around the world who could benefit from a loving home. With increasing numbers of abandoned and orphaned children and a growing number of hurdles, there is now an added urgency to tackle this issue. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to grapple with all of the nuances and issues raised by adoption in Islam. The goal of this chapter is more modest. It is to contribute to a better understanding of Islamic views on adoptions, provide insights into some of the tensions and points of convergence, lay groundwork to help in bridging the gap, and fill the existing void in properly caring for orphans, abandoned children, and children of unknown parentage consistent with contemporary notions of child welfare and the spirit of the Sharia. Part I provides a basic background on Islamic law, its sources, principles and methodology for development and evolution. Part II sets out a description of adoption and alternatives under classical Islamic law as understood and accepted by the orthodox Sunni community. Part III explores and highlights the areas of tension and convergence with modern western conceptions of adoption and child welfare. The chapter then concludes with some parting thoughts.The chapter demonstrates that there is sufficient basis in Islamic jurisprudence to argue for qualified support of international adoptions. It is undeniable that taking care of orphans and foundlings is a religious obligation. Arguably one of the best ways to take care of these children is to place them in loving homes, provided that a child’s lineage is not intentionally negated or concealed. A reformed model of Islamic adoptions will enable Muslims to fulfill this religious obligation while ensuring that the most vulnerable do not fall through technical cracks and will not be negatively impacted by formal rules that no longer serve their intended purposes.
Gold-Coated Mylar™ (GCM) Electrode for Electroretinography

Since electroretinography first came to be regarded as a clinical test procedure, there has been a continuing quest for the ideal ERG electrode. Because the retinal response is recorded at maximal amplitude over the cornea, most electrodes represent a modification of a contact lens.
The Immunoglobulin Superfamily in Leukocyte Recruitment

In order to function as effector cells of the innate or specific immune system, leukocytes must leave the intravascular compartment. In the course of this process, circulating cells are exposed to significant hydrodynamic forces exerted by rapidly moving blood components.1 Consequently, an intricate system of specialized surface molecules has evolved on leukocytes and endothelial cells (EC) that confers the mechanical stability necessary for interactions between blood cells and the vessel wall in the presence of flow. These receptors include a group of endothelial immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) members, several leukocyte integrins that function as IgSF counter-receptors, the three selectins and their sialomucin ligands, and a number of other molecules on leukocytes, platelets, EC, and within the extracellular matrix (reviewed in refs. 2, 3, 4, 5).
Sexual Function in the Stroke Survivor

Many issues affect the resumption of sexual activity for the individual who has had a stroke. Studies point to a nonorganic cause for the sexual system deficits often seen. This knowledge makes more salient and more exigent the need to understand and address the psychosocial aspects of stroke recovery related to sexuality. Additionally, there are functional deficits in areas such as mobility, communication, cognition, and perception that may interfere with sexual activity as it had been experienced prior to the stroke. This article details both the psychosocial and functional interventions appropriate for this population.
A Hybrid Monte Carlo Simulation and Multi Label Classification Method for Composite System Reliability Evaluation

This paper presents a new approach for reliability evaluation of composite power systems by combining Monte Carlo simulation and multi label k-nearest neighbor (MLKNN) algorithm. MLKNN is a classification technique in which target vector of each instance is assigned into multiple classes. In this paper, MLKNN is used to classify states (failure or success at system or bus level) of a complete power system without requiring optimal power flow (OPF) analysis, except in the training phase. As a result, the computational burden to perform OPF is reduced dramatically. For illustration, the proposed method is applied to the IEEE 30 BUS Test System and IEEE Reliability Test System. The obtained results from various case studies demonstrate that MLKNN based reliability evaluation provides promising results in both classification accuracy and computation time in evaluating the composite power system reliability.
Mechanochemical reactions and hydrogen storage capacities in MBH4–SiS2 systems (M Li or Na)

Abstract The hydrogen storage properties, and phase compositions of mechanochemically prepared mixtures of xMBH4-SiS2 (x = 2–8), where M = Li or Na, were investigated using gas sorption analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and infrared and solid-state NMR spectroscopic methods. The 2LiBH4:1SiS2 system forms an amorphous product that releases ca. 4.3 wt % of H2 below 385 °C with a Tonset of 88 °C without detectable diborane emission. The dehydrogenated sample reversibly absorbs 1.5 wt % of H2 at 385 °C under 160 bar pressure. The H2 release from materials with varying LiBH4:SiS2 ratios peaks at 8.2 wt % for the 6LiBH4:1SiS2 composition, with a reversible hydrogen storage capacity of 2.4 wt %. The H2 desorption capacities of the Li-containing systems surpass those of Na-containing systems. Solid-state NMR studies indicate that products of mechanochemical reactions in the LiBH4 SiS2 system consist of one-dimensional chains of edge-sharing SiS4/2 tetrahedra in which the non-bridging S-ends are terminated with Li+, which are further coordinated to the [BH4]− anions. A variety of possible polymorphs in the Li Si S-(BH4) composition space have been identified using first principles and thermodynamic modeling that supports the likelihood of formation of such novel complexes.
Cognitive Interviewing to Improve Questionnaires for Justice-Involved Youth:

This study demonstrates the utility of cognitive interviewing for survey and scale development in criminal justice research and identifies common comprehension problems with survey items for justice-involved youth. A cognitive interviewing strategy was utilized with a sample of youth who completed a survey examining risk factors for recidivism. A content analysis of interviews was used to identify patterns and to classify the nature and type of comprehension issues youth experienced. Five specific comprehension issues were identified including reading comprehension, item ambiguity, precondition binds, double-barreled questions, and double negatives. Findings illustrate the value of cognitive interviewing for pretesting survey items for justice-involved youth and provide further insight into issues surrounding word choice, question structure, and response sets. Results also point to the need to reassess the validity of established scales used in contemporary studies. Limitations of the current study and implications for future research are discussed.
Child assessments of vegetable preferences and cooking self-efficacy show predictive validity with targeted diet quality measures.

Cooking interventions have the potential to improve child diet quality because cooking involvement is associated with positive changes in dietary behavior. Valid and reliable instruments that are low-cost and convenient to administer are needed to feasibly assess the impact of cooking interventions on dietary behavior. The purpose of the current research is to examine the validity of fruit and vegetable preferences, cooking attitudes and self-efficacy assessments to predict targeted Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI) scores among 4th-grade youth. Child fruit and vegetable preferences, cooking attitudes, self-efficacy, age, sex and race/ethnicity were collected with the Fuel for Fun survey in classroom settings using a standardized administration protocol. Child dietary assessment data consisted of three 24-h dietary recalls collected by telephone over a 2–4 week period by trained interviewers using a standard protocol. Bootstrapped linear regressions examined the predictive validity of fruit and vegetable preference, cooking attitudes and cooking self-efficacy for the Total and 4 targeted HEI components: whole fruit, total vegetables, green vegetables and beans, and empty calories. Logistic regressions were used to confirm the relationships between Fuel for Fun survey items and HEI components. Sex and a categorical variable for race/ethnicity were included as a priori controls in each regression model. Vegetable preference predicted positive associations with HEI Total Score, Total Vegetables, and Green Vegetables and Beans (p < 0.05) Each additional 2 point increase in cooking self-efficacy was associated with a 1.33 point HEI Score increase, even after including BMI z-score as a control (b = 0.667, p = 0.003). Fruit preference and cooking attitudes did not significantly predict HEI total or component scores. This study provides evidence that low-cost, validated measures of vegetable preferences and cooking self-efficacy predict diet quality in 4th grade children. These results also reinforce the relationship between cooking and healthful dietary behavior.
Afferent arteriole responsiveness to endothelin receptor activation: does sex matter?

The pathogenesis of hypertension is distinct between men and women. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potential contributor to sex differences in the pathophysiology of hypertension. ET-1 participates in blood pressure regulation through activation of endothelin A (ETA) and endothelin B (ETB) receptors including those in the vasculature. Previous studies demonstrated that sex and sex hormones evoke discrepancies in ET-1-mediated control of vascular tone in different vascular beds. However, little is known about sex- and sex hormone-related differences in ET-1-dependent renal microvascular reactivity. Accordingly, we hypothesized that loss of sex hormones impairs afferent arteriole reactivity to ET-1. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to gonadectomy or sham surgery (n = 6/group). After 3 weeks, kidneys from those rats were prepared for assessment of renal microvascular responses to ET-1 (ETA and ETB agonist, 10−12 to 10−8 M) and sarafotoxin 6c (S6c, ETB agonist, 10−12 to 10−8 M) using the blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron preparation. Control afferent arteriole diameters at 100 mmHg were similar between sham male and female rats averaging 14.6 ± 0.3 and 15.3 ± 0.3 μm, respectively. Gonadectomy had no significant effect on control arteriole diameter. In sham males, ET-1 produced significant concentration-dependent decreases in afferent arteriole diameter, with 10−8 M ET-1 decreasing diameter by 84 ± 1%. ET-1 induced similar concentration-dependent vasoconstrictor responses in sham female rats, with 10−8 M ET-1 decreasing the diameter by 82 ± 1%. The afferent arteriolar vasoconstrictor responses to ET-1 were unchanged by ovariectomy or orchiectomy. Selective ETB receptor activation by S6c induced a concentration-dependent decline in afferent arteriole diameter, with 10−8 M S6c decreasing diameter by 77 ± 3 and 76 ± 3% in sham male and female rats, respectively. Notably, ovariectomy augmented the vasoconstrictor response to S6c (10−12 to 10−9 M), whereas orchiectomy had no significant impact on the responsiveness to ETB receptor activation. These data demonstrate that sex does not significantly influence afferent arteriole reactivity to ET receptor activation. Gonadectomy potentiated the responsiveness of the afferent arteriole to ETB-induced vasoconstriction in females, but not males, suggesting that female sex hormones influence ETB-mediated vasoconstriction in the renal microcirculation.
Post-Carnegie II curricular reform: a north American survey of emerging trends & challenges

In 2010, coincident with the 100th anniversary of Flexner’s sentinel report, the Carnegie Foundation published an updated review of North American medical education and challenged medical schools to initiate further educational reforms. Specific recommendations pertained to a) ensuring standardized outcomes while allowing for individualized processes, b) integrating foundational knowledge with clinical experience, c) cultivating habits of inquiry and innovation and d) professional identity formation. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of this latest report, we sought to determine what type of curricular revisions have been emerging within the past decade and what types of challenges have been encountered along the way? In 2018, an electronic survey was sent to all 166 Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited North American Medical Schools, using the points of contact (educational deans) that were listed in a publicly available, Association of American Medical Colleges database. Free text comments were grouped into themes using the constant-comparative technique. Sixty unique responses yielding a 36.14% response rate. The distribution of responses was proportionally representative of the distribution of public vs. private, old vs. new vs. established North American medical schools. Self-reported curricular changes aggregated into five main themes: Changes in curricular structure/organization, changes in curricular content, changes in curricular delivery, changes in assessment, and changes involving increased use of technology/informatics. Challenges were predominantly focused on overcoming faculty resistance, faculty development, securing adequate resourcing, change management, and competition for limited amounts of curricular time. Changes in curricular organization, content, delivery, assessment and the use of technology reflect reforms that are broad and deep. Empowering faculty to “let go” of familiar constructs/processes requires strong leadership, particularly when initiating particularly disruptive curricular changes, such as relocating the Step 1 examination or shifting to a competency-based curriculum. While North American medical schools are responding to the calls for action described in the second (2010) Carnegie Foundation report, the full vision has yet to be achieved.
Incidence, severity, and etiology of treatment-related lymphopenia in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

e17552 Background: Severe treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL) is associated with shorter survival in patients with glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiat...
Highly Linear Amperometric Glucose Detection System Realized in Deep Submicron CMOS Technology

The aim of this work is to realize a needle implantable biosensor for continuous monitoring of interstitial glucose levels. A highly miniaturized application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is designed using 130 nm standard CMOS technology and combined with a glucose biosensor to produce a frequency signal proportional to the glucose concentration level. A prototype system incorporating an on-chip amperometric potentiostat and a signal processing unit (SPU) is designed and implemented to amperiometrically assess the performance of the biosensor in term of measurement of glucose values. This prototype system demonstrated measurement of a wide current range from 1 nA to 10 µA with the output read-out exhibiting linearity higher than 99%. The realized system is optimized with small physical footprint occupying a 1.5 mm × 0.439 mm die and maximum power consumption of about 80 µW.
Endoscopic repair of spontaneous skull base defects decreases the incidence rate of intracranial complications

BACKGROUND Spontaneous skull base defects can result in life-threatening intracranial complications (ICCs), including meningitis and pneumocephalus. Endoscopic skull base reconstruction (ESBR) has traditionally been the treatment of choice, but its impact upon ICCs is not known. In this study, we aimed to describe the incidence rate of preoperative ICCs in patients with spontaneous skull base defects, risk factors associated with ICC development, and the impact of surgical repair on the incidence rate of ICCs. METHODS A retrospective review was performed of all spontaneous skull base defects undergoing ESBR from 2005 to 2019 at 2 academic tertiary care medical centers. The incidence rate of ICCs and the demographics information and risk factors were collected. RESULTS In 222 spontaneous skull base defects, preoperative ICCs occurred in 46 subjects (20.7%) with an incidence rate of 22.7 per 100 person-years. Factors significantly associated with preoperative ICCs included symptom duration, reduced body mass index (BMI), resolved cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, and location in the frontal or lateral sphenoid sinuses. Endoscopic repair was successful in 97.2% of subjects and the postoperative ICC incidence rate was significantly reduced at 0.8 per 100 person-years (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Spontaneous skull base defects pose significant risk for life-threatening ICCs. Our findings reveal significantly elevated odds of ICC development associated with resolved CSF rhinorrhea, lower BMI, longer duration of symptoms, and defect location. Endoscopic repair is highly successful with low morbidity and significantly reduces the incidence rate of intracranial complications.
Effect of a Vibratory Anesthetic Device on Pain Anticipation and Subsequent Pain Perception Among Patients Undergoing Cutaneous Cancer Removal Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ImportanceVibration has been shown to decrease injection site pain in patients; however, to date, this effect has not been assessed for patients who catastrophize pain (ie, patients who anticipate ...
Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery Among Adolescent Patients with Super-Obesity

Background: We sought to determine if adolescent patients with super-obesity (body mass index, BMI >50 kg/m2) have different outcomes in weight loss and obesity-related co-morbidity (ORC) resolutio...
Association between exposure to air pollution and prefrontal cortical volume in adults: A cross-sectional study from the UK biobank

Associated with numerous cognitive and behavioral functions and with several diseases, the prefrontal cortex is vulnerable to environmental insult. Among other factors, toxins in air pollution have been associated with damage to the prefrontal cortex in children and older adults. We used data from the UK Biobank to assess further associations between an array of toxins in air pollution and gray matter in the prefrontal cortex including the left and right frontal poles, left and right superior frontal gyri, left and right frontal medial cortex, left and right orbitofrontal cortex, and left and right frontal opercula, using multivariate models adjusted for covariates that possibly could confound the association between air pollution and volume of prefrontal gray matter. The results showed inverse associations between PM 2.5, PM 10, and nitrogen oxides and prefrontal volume in models adjusted for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, race-ethnicity, self-rated overall health, body mass index, total brain volume, smoking status, and alcohol use frequency. Education appeared to moderate the association between air pollution and prefrontal volume. The data in these analyses came from regions whose mean PM 2.5 was near the upper limit and whose mean PM 10 was under those recommended by the World Health Organization. These findings suggest that comparatively low levels of air pollution might be associated with reduced volume of the prefrontal cortex.
Impact of non-nucleotidic bulges on recognition of mixed-sequence dsDNA by pyrene-functionalized Invader probes.

Invader probes, i.e., DNA duplexes modified with +1 interstrand zippers of intercalator-functionalized nucleotides like 2′-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-RNA monomers, are energetically activated for sequence-unrestricted recognition of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as they are engineered to violate the neighbor exclusion principle, while displaying high affinity towards complementary DNA sequences. The impact on Invader-mediated dsDNA-recognition upon additional modification with different non-nucleotidic bulges is studied herein, based on the hypothesis that bulge-containing Invader probes will display additionally disrupted base-stacking, more extensive denaturation, and improved dsDNA-recognition efficiency. Indeed, Invader probes featuring a single central large bulge – e.g., a nonyl (C9) monomer – display improved recognition of model DNA hairpin targets vis-a-vis conventional Invader probes (C50 values ∼1.5 μM vs. ∼3.9 μM). In contrast, probes with two opposing central bulges display less favorable binding characteristics. Remarkably, C9-modified Invader probes display perfect discrimination between fully complementary dsDNA and dsDNA differing in only one of eighteen base-pairs, underscoring the high binding specificity of double-stranded probes. Cy3-labeled bulge-containing Invader probes are demonstrated to signal the presence of gender-specific DNA sequences in fluorescent in situ hybridization assays (FISH) performed under non-denaturing conditions, highlighting one potential application of dsDNA-targeting Invader probes.
Case 1: Weakness and Gait Instability in a 4-year-old Girl.

1. LCDR Adam J. Olewnik, DO 2. LT Daniel MacHue, MD 1. *Medical Corps, United States Navy, Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, North Carolina A 4-year-old girl from rural North Carolina presents to an outpatient clinic after 2 successive emergency department (ED) evaluations for sudden-onset difficulty walking. Symptoms began the morning of her initial ED presentation when her parents noticed stumbling and gait incoordination. Her symptoms progressed rapidly to overt lower extremity weakness, culminating in an inability to stand. She was walking normally the night previously. The patient has a history of epilepsy. Her first seizure occurred at 2 years old. She had been treated in the past with carbamazepine. She has been without seizure for 1 year and weaned from antiepileptic medications 6 months ago after normal findings on video electroencephalography and brain magnetic resonance imaging. There is no recent illness reported. With her current presentation, there is no report of fever, headache, neck pain, vision complaint or tearing, mentation change, sensory alteration, dysphagia, drooling, cough, wheezing, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, diarrhea, emesis, or rash. Her parents are not suspicious for unusual ingestions or toxin exposure. One week ago she traveled to a hospital where she attended an appointment with her sister who is being evaluated for suspected muscular dystrophy. During this trip she played in an outdoor garden but has had no other recent atypical exposures. At the initial ED encounter she was carried in by her parents. Vital signs included weight of 40 lb (18 kg), heart rate of 106 beats/min, respirations of 22 breaths/min, oxygen saturation of 99% on room air, and a temperature of 98.9°F (37.2°C). Blood pressure was not recorded. She was well-appearing, typically developed, without signs of distress, and appropriately alert and oriented. Head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat …
Chapter 7 – Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensors

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces surface plasma waves, presents methods for their excitation and interrogation, and discusses the concept of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) optical biosensors. SPR biosensors exploit special electromagnetic waves—surface plasmon-polaritons—to probe changes in the refractive index at surfaces of metals. SPR biosensors can therefore be used to monitor the interaction between an analyte in solution and its biospecific partner immobilized on the metal surface without the use of labels. Major application areas include the detection of low levels of biological analytes and the study of biomolecular interactions. The SPR biosensor technology has been commercialized and SPR biosensors have become a central tool for characterizing and quantifying biomolecular interactions both in life sciences and pharmaceutical research.
Raman Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are honey-combed lattices rolled up into cylinders with nanometer-sized diameters and lengths on the order of microns. Actively studied for over thirty years, and with now greater availability, single-walled nanotubes are predicted to significantly impact semi-conductor physics, owing to their unique electronic properties and reduced dimensionality. Some of the semi-conductor technologies in which CNTs are expected to hold significant promise are in super-capacitors, hydrogen storage materials, nanoprobes, and bio-chemical sensors. Necessary to many future CNT applications is a clear understanding of their thermal properties, as nano-devices based on single-walled and/or multi-walled nanotubes may have to experience high temperatures during the manufacturing process while being operated. This, in turn, affects the reliability due to thermal expansion and the ensuing strain in the electronic devices. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of CNTs is a key property for nano-electronic applications. In this paper we will present Raman Spectroscopy measurements of single-walled carbon nanotubes as a function of temperature in the range 25–200 °C, as well as Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations that incorporate current state-of-the-art models of Carbon–Carbon interactions associated with the thermal expansion of carbon nanotubes.
A phase I study of nelfinavir, an FDA approved HIV protease inhibitor, in adults with refractory solid tumors

2583 Background: Preclinical studies show that HIV protease inhibitors such as nelfinavir (N) have dose- dependent, pleiotropic anti-cancer activities. However, the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ...
Nationwide variability in the use of induction immunosuppression for adult heart transplantation.

Background Institutional factors have been shown to impact outcomes following orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). This study evaluated center variability in the utilization of induction therapy for OHT and its implications on clinical outcomes. Methods Adult OHT patients between 2010 and 2018 were identified from the United Network for Organ Sharing registry. Transplant centers were stratified based on their rates of induction therapy utilization. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were created with drug-treated rejection within 1 year as primary endpoint and individual centers as a random parameter. Risk-adjusted Cox regression was used to evaluate patient-level mortality outcomes. Results In 17,524 OHTs performed at 100 centers, induction therapy was utilized in 48.6% (n = 8411) with substantial variability between centers (interquartile range, 21.4%-79.1%). There were 36, 30, and 34 centers in the low ( 67%) induction utilization terciles groups, respectively. Induction therapy did not account for the observed variability in the treated rejection rate at 1 year among centers after adjusting for donor and recipient factors (p = .20). No differences were observed in postoperative outcomes among induction utilization centers groups (all, p > .05). Furthermore, there was a weak correlation between the percentage of induction therapy utilization at the center-level and recipients found to have moderate (r = .03) or high (r = .04) baseline risks for acute rejection at 1 year. Conclusions This analysis demonstrates that there is substantial variability in the use of induction therapy among OHT centers. In addition, there was a minimal correlation with baseline recipient risk or 1-year rejection rates, suggesting a need for better-standardized practices for induction therapy use in OHT.
Endogenous versus Exogenous Ketosis to Suppress Myocardial Glucose Uptake on FDG-PET: KEETO-CROSS

1635 Background: The ketogenic diet (KD) is the gold standard to achieve myocardial glucose suppression (MGS) for evaluating inflammation using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET). However, incomplete MGS occurs in 15-20% of participants without inflammation, leading to repeat testing with excess radiation exposure, inaccurate diagnosis with inappropriate immunosuppression, and extra costs to the healthcare system. While extending the duration of KD may be an effective option, limited data suggest exogenous ketones may provide a convenient and reliable diagnostic alternative to the KD to achieve MGS. In addition, whether serum ketone levels (reflected by beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)) can serve as a biomarker reflecting achievement of appropriate MGS has not been evaluated. Methods: KEETO-CROSS is a randomized, crossover, non-inferiority, open-label trial of the KD (endogenous ketosis) versus ketone ester (KE, exogenous ketosis) drink. Nineteen healthy participants were enrolled into three sequential arms: 1) weight-based (714 mg/kg) KE drink 1 hour before FDG-PET (N=18), 2) 24 hours of KD (N=18), and 3) 72 hours of KD (N=17). The primary outcome was adjudicated in a blinded manner as complete MGS on PET (defined as FDG uptake in all heart walls lower than blood pool activity), assessed using McNemar’s test with a non-inferiority margin of 5%. The predictive value of endogenous levels of BHB for MGS was analyzed using area under receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) for all 35 scans completed on the KD. Results: The mean age was 30+7 years, 53% were female, 53% were white, and average BMI was 24.2+3.2 kg/m2. Mean achieved BHB levels in mmol/L were 3.81+1.61 (KE drink), 0.77+0.37 (24 hour KD), and 1.46+0.84 (72 hour KD) (Figure 1A). The primary outcome was achieved in 44% (KE drink), 78% (24 hour KD), and 88% (72 hour KD) of participants (p=0.07 and 0.022 for KE vs. 24 and 72 hour KD, respectively), failing to meeting the non-inferiority margin. Endogenous levels of BHB robustly predicted MGS (AUROC 0.98, 95% CI 0.95, 1.00) (Figure 1B). BHB levels 0.58 correctly classified MGS failure and success, respectively, in all (100%) scans completed on the KD. Conclusions: In healthy volunteers, KE was inferior to the KD for achieving MGS, though 20% of healthy volunteers still failed dietary modification at the standard 24 hour assessment and 10% even at 72 hours. BHB is a highly accurate biomarker for predicting MGS. Our study has identified BHB thresholds which can be implemented clinically upstream of FDG-PET to reduce non-diagnostic and false positive scans.
Safe Deep Q-Network for Autonomous Vehicles at Unsignalized Intersection

We propose a safe DRL approach for autonomous vehicle (AV) navigation through crowds of pedestrians while making a left turn at an unsignalized intersection. Our method uses two long-short term memory (LSTM) models that are trained to generate the perceived state of the environment and the future trajectories of pedestrians given noisy observations of their movement. A future collision prediction algorithm based on the future trajectories of the ego vehicle and pedestrians is used to mask unsafe actions if the system predicts a collision. The performance of our approach is evaluated in two experiments using the high-fidelity CARLA simulation environment. The first experiment tests the performance of our method at intersections that are similar to the training intersection and the second experiment tests our method at intersections with a different topology. For both experiments, our methods do not result in a collision with a pedestrian while still navigating the intersection at a reasonable speed.
A variational database management system

Many problems require working with data that varies in its structure and content. Current approaches, such as schema evolution or data integration tools, are highly tailored to specific kinds of variation in databases. While these approaches work well in their roles, they do not address all kinds of variation and do address the interaction of different kinds of variation in databases. In this paper, we define a framework for capturing variation as a generic and orthogonal con- cern in relational databases. We define variational schemas, variational databases, and variational queries for capturing variation in the structure, content, and information needs of relational databases, respectively. We define a type system that ensures variational queries are consistent with respect to a variational schema. Finally, we design and implement a variational database management system as an abstraction layer over a traditional relational database management system. Using previously developed use cases, we show the feasibility of our framework and demonstrate the performance of different approaches used in our system
Psychosocial Mechanisms Underlying Quality of Parenting among Mexican-American and White Adolescent Mothers.

Although previous researchers have identified a relationship between ethnicity and parenting practices, there have been few studies designed to identify the mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study addressed two questions: (1) Can the relationship between ethnicity and parenting practices be explained in terms of the uneven distribution of financial stress, parenting stress, and/or global stress across ethnic groups? (2) Do social support and employment status moderate the relationship between stress and parenting behavior among teen mothers? Fifty Caucasian and forty-nine Mexican-American teen mothers with children between the ages of 1 and 3 participated in this study. Financial stress, parenting stress, global stress, social support, and parenting behavior were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Findings indicated that Mexican-American teen mothers engaged in more negative parenting behaviors than White teen mothers, but the relationship between ethnicity and parenting was mediated by the combined influences of financial, parenting, and global stress. Regardless of ethnic status, level of social support and employment status moderated the effects of stress on a mother's parenting behavior; young mothers reported more nurturant behavior if they received higher levels of social support and were employed.
Cancer: looking outside the genome

The ‘gene-centric’ approach has produced a wealth of information about the origins and progression of cancer, and investigators seek a full compilation of altered gene expressions for tumour characterization and treatment. However, the cancer genome appears to be far more unstable than previously thought. It may therefore be prudent to augment gene-level approaches with supra-genomic strategies that circumvent the genomic variability of cancer cells.
Membrane Related Research Periodicals

This list of membrane-related research periodicals may not be completely exhaustive, but the major synthetic-membrane-related research periodicals that are published in English were accounted for. Keywords: periodicals; research; open-access journals; professional journals
Caregiver Burden at McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center

A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate a Veterans Administration Respite Care Program's effectiveness in reducing caregiver burden. Sixteen caregivers, who had used respite care, comprised the experimental group. Fourteen caregivers, who had not received respite care, comprised the control group. A multidimensional perspective considering veterans' ADL impairment, veterans' memory and behavior problems, and the caregivers' perception of the situation was used. All data were gathered through telephone interviews. A T-test (=œ .05) revealed a significant difference (p = .006) in ADL impairment between the two groups. Pearson's Correlation (=œ .05) revealed a significant correleation (r = .7348, p = .006) between memory and behavior problems and burden among he non-respite group, but not among the respite group (r = .4262, p = .100). These findings indicate that respite care reduces caregiver burden related to memory and behavior problems.
Effects of old age on human skeletal muscle energetics during fatiguing contractions with and without blood flow

We recently reported lower glycolytic flux (ATP(GLY)) and increased reliance on oxidative ATP synthesis (ATP(OX)) in contracting muscle of older compared to young humans. To further investigate this age-related difference in the pathways of ATP synthesis, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the rates of ATP(OX), ATP(GLY) and net phosphocreatine hydrolysis in vivo during maximal muscle contractions under free-flow (FF) and ischaemic (ISC) conditions in the ankle dorsiflexors of 20 young (27 +/- 3 years; 10 male, 10 female) and 18 older (70 +/- 5 years; 10 male, 8 female) adults. We hypothesized that ATP(GLY) would be higher in young compared to old during FF contractions, but that old would be unable to increase ATP(GLY) during ISC to match that of the young, which would suggest impaired glycolytic ATP synthesis with old age. Peak glycolytic flux during FF was lower in older (0.8 +/- 0.1 mm ATP s(-1)) compared to young (1.4 +/- 0.1 mm ATP s(-1), P < 0.001) subjects. During ISC, peak ATP(GLY) increased in old to a level similar to that of young (1.4 +/- 0.2 mm ATP s(-1), 1.3 +/- 0.2 mm ATP s(-1), respectively; P = 0.86), suggesting that glycolytic function remains intact in aged muscle in vivo. Notably, older adults fatigued less than young during both FF and ISC (P <or= 0.004). These results provide novel evidence of unimpaired in vivo glycolytic function in the skeletal muscle of older adults during maximal isometric dorsiflexion, and suggest a potential role for differences in metabolic economy and as a result, metabolite accumulation, in the fatigue resistance of the old.
Leader–member exchange, enriched jobs, and goal-setting: Applying fuzzy set methodology

Abstract This study takes a configurational approach to investigate multiple combinations of motivational and leadership factors that provide alternative paths for achieving positive behavioral and attitudinal outcomes among employees. Using a field study of 209 leader–follower dyads from 12 different organizations, the results demonstrate that leadership and motivational constructs combine in multiple bundles to achieve high levels of employee performance, commitment, and citizenship behaviors. These results demonstrate the usefulness of configurational approaches in helping understand equifinality in the field of organizational behavior.
The Case of Leroy Hendricks: A Blueprint For Successful Implementation Of A Sexual Predator Statute

The handling and care of dangerous sexual predators has typically been a function of the criminal justice system. Recently, however, the state of Kansas became the focus of a Supreme Court challeng...
A genetic algorithm applied to graph problems involving subsets of vertices

Many graph problems seek subsets of their vertices that maximize or minimize objective functions on the vertices. Among these are the capacitated p-median problem, the geometric connected dominating set problem, the capacitated k-center problem, and the traveling tourist problem. Prior genetic algorithms research in this area applied a simple mutation of an allele by random replacement. Recently an enhanced operator called hypermutation was developed, proving to be very effective for solving the capacitated p-median problem. We propose a GA with a new heuristic called the nearest four neighbors heuristic (N4N) for solving graph problems requiring a subset of vertices. It is an extension of the hypermutation operator. Genetic algorithms that use each of these three mutation operators (simple, hypermutation, N4N) are applied to instances of the four graph-subset problems listed above. Results show that our N4N heuristic obtained superior results compared to the hypermutation and the simple mutation operators in every test case.
Model‐based phase I designs incorporating toxicity and efficacy for single and dual agent drug combinations: Methods and challenges

Novel therapies are challenging the standards of drug development. Agents with specific biologic targets, unknown dose-efficacy curves, and limited toxicity mandate novel designs to identify biologically optimal doses. We review two model-based designs that utilize either a proportional odds model or a continuation ratio model to identify an optimal dose of a single or two-agent combination in a Phase I setting utilizing both toxicity and efficacy data. A continual reassessment method with straightforward dose selection criterion using accumulated data from all patients treated until that time point is employed while allowing for separate toxicity and efficacy curves for each drug in a two-drug setting. The simulation studies demonstrate considerable promise, at least theoretically, in the ability of such model-based designs to identify the optimal dose. Despite such favorable operating characteristics, there are several pragmatic challenges that hinder the routine implementation of such model-based designs in practice. We review and offer practical solutions to potentially overcome some of these challenges. The acceptance and integration of these designs in practice may be quicker and easier if they are developed in concert with a clinical paradigm. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The formation and role of carbocations in electrolytic fluorination using hydrogen fluoride electrolytes in a nafion membrane-divided teflon cell

Abstract A Nafion ® cation permselective membrane was used in anhydrous hydrogen fluorinde (AHF) in a series of electrofluorinations of organic compounds. The carbocations generated chemically and electrochemically in the anode compartment, crossed the membrane under the influence of electric field, and were quenched in the cathode compartment by suitable organic nucleophile. Products due to Friedel-Crafts type substitution, isomerization and polymerization were identified. An HF-pyridine (29%) complex was also examined as a possible electrolyte with platinum and carbon anodes. The extent of fluorination was small or none. Thus, neither a direct nor a ionic fluorination mechanism was operative in the process although the conditions appeared suitable for both.
Elevated plasma levels of interleukin-2 and soluble IL-2 receptor in ischemic heart disease

Background: T-lymphocytes are present in significant numbers in the atherosclerotic plaque, but their role in the progression and pathogenesis of coronary syndromes remains poorly understood. Hypothesis: We sought to determine the relationship between T-lymphocyte activation and ischemic heart disease by measuring plasma levels of cytokines related to T-lymphocyte function in patients with stable and unstable angina. Methods: Plasma levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were measured in 105 patients: 66 with stable angina, 24 with unstable angina, and 15 healthy controls. Patients who presented to the cardiac catheterization laboratory with unstable or stable anginal syndromes for coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention enrolled in the study. Results: Mean levels of IL-2 were significantly higher in patients with stable angina than in those with unstable angina. The differences between stable angina and control groups, or between unstable angina and control groups, were not statistically significant. Mean levels of sIL-2R were significantly higher in patients with stable angina than in either patients with unstable angina or control patients. Conclusions: Levels of IL-2 and sIL-2 receptor are significantly elevated in patients with stable angina, but not in patients with unstable angina. The contribution of T-lymphocytes to the development of both stable and unstable angina requires further investigation.
Categorical Threat and Protest Policing: Patterns of Repression Before and After Democratic Transition in South Korea

This article challenges the view that protest policing depends on situational threats, such as violent, disruptive tactics and the size of protests, by analysing how categorical threats assigned to movement groups' social-demographic identities affect repression. An analysis of South Korea's democratic transition reveals that categorical threats importantly trigger differential repression after the transition. Compared to moderate “citizens' movements” that thrived during Korea's democratisation, the protests organised by “people's movements” incurred state repression after controlling for other alternative variables. The result is also supported by qualitative evidence from multiple in-depth interviews with activists. The implication of differential repression is discussed in terms of how a democratising state attempts to channel and regulate social movements.
On the Multiplicity of Solutions of Semilinear Equations

We study uniqueness and exact multiplicity of solutions of semilinear equations for both balls and annular domains. We assume the annular domains to be “thin ”, but allow them to be wider than in the previous works.
Interaction of morphine and naloxone in acute spinal cats

Abstract Naloxone (0.2 mg/kg i.v.) increased both monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflex amplitudes in acute spinal cats. The increase in monosynaptic reflex amplitude was greater than that for polysynaptic reflexes. Morphine administered intravenously. 36 min following naloxone, depressed monosynaptic reflexes at 3 and 12 mg/kg, and polysynaptic reflexes at 12 mg/kg. A subsequent 0.2 mg/kg dose of naloxone was administered 54 min after beginning the morphine injection. The action of naloxone on polysynaptic reflexes was enhanced by intervening morphine; that on monosynaptic reflexes was not. The actions of morphine and naloxone in these studies do not appear to involve cholinergic synapses in the spinal cord.