cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Next Million Years— A Half Century Later

Just after World War II, there appeared an ambitious book with the title, The Next Million Years1 Its author, Charles Galton Darwin, was a distinguished physicist and the grandson of the great Charles Darwin, author of Origin of the Species. The younger Darwin, then in his early sixties, had not only had an outstanding research career but had travelled the world, served as liaison representative of the United Kingdom with the White House in World War II and had also been director of the National Physical Laboratory in England, an institution central to much of Britain’s research during that war. As was his privilege, Darwin, a Malthusian at heart, came to the pessimistic conclusion that the long-range future of humanity is not very bright. To many, this conclusion seemed overly gloomy since we had just emerged victoriously from a challenging war and the world seemed like a much brighter place.
Hellinger distance based drift detection for nonstationary environments

Most machine learning algorithms, including many online learners, assume that the data distribution to be learned is fixed. There are many real-world problems where the distribution of the data changes as a function of time. Changes in nonstationary data distributions can significantly reduce the generalization ability of the learning algorithm on new or field data, if the algorithm is not equipped to track such changes. When the stationary data distribution assumption does not hold, the learner must take appropriate actions to ensure that the new/relevant information is learned. On the other hand, data distributions do not necessarily change continuously, necessitating the ability to monitor the distribution and detect when a significant change in distribution has occurred. In this work, we propose and analyze a feature based drift detection method using the Hellinger distance to detect gradual or abrupt changes in the distribution.
The evening commute with cars and transit: duality results and user equilibrium for the combined morning and evening peaks

Abstract This paper extends Vickrey's (1969) commute problem for commuters wishing to pass a bottleneck for both cars and transit that share finite road capacity. In addition to this more general framework considering two modes, the paper focuses on the evening rush, when commuters travel from work to home. Commuters choose which mode to use and when to travel in order to minimize the generalized cost of their own trips, including queueing delay and penalties for deviation from a preferred schedule of arrival and departure to and from work. The user equilibrium for the isolated morning and evening commutes are shown to be asymmetric because the schedule penalty in the morning is the differ- ence between the departure and wished curves, and the schedule penalty in the evening is the difference between the arrival and wished curves. It is shown that the system optimum in the morning and evening peaks are symmetric because queueing delay is eliminated and the optimal arrival curves are the same as the departure curves. The paper then considers both the morning and evening peaks together for a single mode bottleneck (all cars) with identical travelers that share the same wished times. For a schedule penalty function of the morning departure and evening arrival times that is positive definite and has certain properties, a user equilibrium is shown to exist in which commuters travel in the same order in both peaks. The result is used to illustrate the user equilibrium for two cases: (i) commuters have decoupled schedule preferences in the morning and evening, and (ii) commuters must work a fixed shift length but have flexibility when to start. Finally, a special case is considered with cars and transit: commuters have the same wished order in the morning and evening peaks. Commuters must use the same mode in both directions, and the complete user equilibrium solution reveals the number of commuters using cars and transit and the period in the middle of each rush when transit is used.
Persistent programming with strongly typed linguistic reflection

The technique of linguistic reflection is of particular interest in persistent systems because it can allow long-lived data and programs to evolve in a type-safe manner. Existing reflective languages are hard to use because programs contain a mixture of several different kinds of code, with respect to their role in reflection. In some systems this problem is compounded by the presence of a high level of syntactic noise. The paper discusses some uses of strongly typed linguistic reflection in a persistent system and describes an attempt to improve the programmer's interface to reflection. This involves designing an extension to the strongly typed persistent language Napier88, called TemplateNapier. The paper also identifies some factors which make it difficult to write and to understand reflective programs. >
The LRLTRAN language as used in the FROST and FLOE time-sharing operating systems

Implementation of operating systems in high level languages is desirable when the responsibility for systems generation extends over a volatile configuration of dissimilar machines. The attendant advantages include rapid development, ease of conversion for new hardware, and self-documentation permitting more viable use of personnel.The scope of a high level language capable of expressing a complex operating system should be broad enough to embrace an ability to deal with variable field length data, both in arrays and as tabled entries, a powerful decision-making capability and some ability to dictate efficient object code generation.LRLTRAN provides these capabilities and others which, though of lesser significance, contribute to the ease of program development. This language has made it possible to produce the FROST and FLOE operating systems for the CDC-6600 and CDC-7600 computers, respectively, and to design and code an operating system for forthcoming hardware.
A large, fungating breast mass. Secretory carcinoma with apocrine differentiation.

61-year-old white woman noted a slowly growing lesion within the right breast that had been present for at least 2 years. During that period, the mass increased in size and ulcerated through the skin. The patient’s mother had breast cancer at the age of 69 years. A computed tomographic scan revealed a large mass in the central portion of the breast abutting the anterior chest wall. Ipsilateral axillary lymphadenopathy was also present. The patient presented to our cancer prevention center for a second opinion regarding the management and treatment of this locally advanced disease. Physical examination revealed a large, fungating mass, which almost entirely replaced the central aspect of the right breast with a 5.0-cm open defect in the overlying skin. The computed tomographic scan of the abdomen demonstrated a metastatic liver lesion and the chest radiograph showed bilateral pulmonary nodules suspicious for metastatic disease. The bone scan revealed multiple osteolytic lesions consistent with metastases in the sternum and the right lateral tenth rib. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the breast mass was performed and showed moderately cellular smears with rare single cells and groups of cells arranged in loose three-dimensional clusters in a background of proteinaceous material. The majority of cells had abundant, granular, and vacuolated cytoplasm. The nuclei varied in size from intermediate to large and had mildly irregular nuclear contours and infrequent prominent nucleoli (Figure
Novel bidirectional ac-dc MOSFET converter for energy storage system applications

A novel bidirectional ac-dc MOSFET converter for energy storage system applications is proposed in this paper. The reverse recovery dissipation of the active switch is greatly reduced because the current does not flow through the body diode of power MOSFET. Detailed power stage operating principles and energy transfer mechanism are described. With magnetic integration, the power density is significantly increased while system size and cost are reduced. An admittance compensated quasi-proportional-resonant controller is adopted to ensure high power quality and precision power flow control. A 1-kW experimental prototype has been designed and implemented to validate the operation and performance of the circuit.
Biocatalysts for the Synthesis and Modification of Biopolymers

Biopolymers are polymers that are biosynthesized from monomeric building blocks. Although biopolymers have been used for many years by the food, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical industries, they have recently taken on increasing industrial importance often for novel applications.1–4 The heightened interest in these materials has primarily been the result of new biotechnological methods5–7 which have given industry access to large quantities of highly-pure biopolymers of various structures representing both natural and nonnatural products.
Number of Americans with Job-Based Health Benefits Increased in 2000 While Uninsured Declined

More than 67 percent of Americans under age 65 - or 163.4 million Americans - were covered by an employment-based health plan during 2000 up from 1999, when 66.6 percent of the nonelderly population was covered by an employment-based health plan. The expansion in employment-based health insurance coverage continued to be coupled with a decline in the number and percentage of Americans without health insurance coverage. Between 1999 and 2000, the number of uninsured nonelderly Americans declined from 39 million to 38.5 million, while the percentage declined from 16.2 percent to 15.9 percent. The main reason for the decline in the number of uninsured Americans during 2000 was the strong economy at that time, which resulted in low unemployment. Tight labor markets gave employers an added incentive to offer health benefits in order to attract qualified workers. Despite rising health insurance costs, employers were increasingly offering health benefits to workers in 2000. Data for 2000 reflect trends that were taking place before the economic slowdown in 2001. These trends could easily change in the future as data become available concerning the combined effect of the economic slowdown and rising health benefit costs. This paper presents data on recent trends in health insurance coverage and provides a brief snapshot of health insurance coverage in the United States.
Evaluating Agronomic Responses of Camelina to Seeding Date under Rain-Fed Conditions

349 Camelina is an ancient crop believed to have evolved as a weed in fi elds planted with fl ax, hence the name “false fl ax” (Budin et al., 1995; Gugel and Falk, 2006). According to Matthaus and Zubr (2000), camelina was cultivated for oil in Europe during the Bronze and Iron Ages; however, its production dwindled during the Middle Ages. Th ere has been recent interest in camelina production because of increased demand for biofuel and other industrial applications from non-edible oilseeds. Several attractive features of camelina make it a potential oilseed crop. It is a low-cost bioenergy crop and the oil has been used successfully as fuel for diesel transport engines (Bernardo et al., 2003). According to Shonnard et al. (2010), when camelina jet fuel was fl ight tested, it met all the requirements for engine performance. In addition, greenhouse gases emitted during combustion of camelina-based fuels were lower than that of petroleum based fuel. Pinzi et al. (2009) indicated that cold weather aff ects the performance of most biofuels; however, fuel derived from camelina is able to withstand lower temperatures because of its high polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Besides biodiesel potential, camelina seeds have an average oil content of 350 to 450 g kg–1, and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acid in the oil is approximately 900 g kg–1 (Gugel and Falk, 2006). Th e high content of unsaturated fatty acid makes camelina oil fastdrying which is useful for making environmentally friendly polymers, varnishes, paints, cosmetics, and dermatological products (Zaleckas et al., 2012). Agronomically, camelina has wide environmental adaptation because it can grow under diff erent climatic and soil conditions (Zubr, 2003). According to Moser and Vaughn (2010), camelina is able to grow well in semiarid regions and in low-fertile and saline soils. Camelina requires low agricultural inputs and its production cost is relatively low (Budin et al., 1995; Moser and Vaughn, 2010). Th ough camelina fi ts well in crop production systems in the semiarid regions in the Great Plains, there Crop Economics, Production & Management
Toward Sustainable Material Usage: Evaluating the Importance of Market Motivated Agency in Modeling Material Flows

Increasing recycling will be a key strategy for moving toward sustainable materials usage. There are many barriers to increasing recycling, including quality issues in the scrap stream. Repeated recycling can compound this problem through the accumulation of tramp elements over time. This paper explores the importance of capturing recycler decision-making in accurately modeling accumulation and the value of technologies intended to mitigate it. A method was developed combining dynamic material flow analysis with allocation of those materials into production portfolios using blending models. Using this methodology, three scrap allocation methods were explored in the context of a case study of aluminum use: scrap pooling, pseudoclosed loop, and market-based. Results from this case analysis suggest that market-driven decisions and upgrading technologies can partially mitigate the negative impact of accumulation on scrap utilization, thereby increasing scrap use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A market...
The current status of allergy training in otolaryngology residency programs.

Purpose of reviewAllergy is an important part of the practice of otolaryngology. The American Board of Otolaryngology (ABO) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have increased specific requirements to include allergy as part of the didactic curriculum in training prog
Louis Gdalman, pioneer in hospital pharmacy poison information services

The role played by hospital pharmacist Louis Gdalman in the development of poisoning information services in the Chicago area is described. In the 1930s, decades before the creation of the Chicago Poisoning Control Program, Louis Gdalman had already established a poison information service at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago. Pharmacists provided poison information to the physicians and nurses working in the emergency room. By the early 1950s, Gdalman had established an extensive library of information on the management of acute and chronic poisoning and had developed a standard form for the collection of data from poison information calls. He personally provided a 24-hour poison information service and often took calls at home. In 1953, the American Academy of Pediatrics initiated the Chicago Area Poisoning Control Program and established treatment and referral centers at 11 hospitals, including St. Luke's Hospital. Louis Gdalman was the only pharmacist involved in this city-wide program. By 1962, the Master Poison Control Center was established at St. Luke's Hospital, which had merged with Presbyterian Hospital in 1956. Today, this center, known as the Chicago and Northeastern Illinois Regional Poison Control Center, is located at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. Louis Gdalman, a hospital pharmacist, pioneered the area of poison information and established what was perhaps the first hospital-based comprehensive poison control center.
Psychometric Consequences of Subpopulation Item Parameter Drift

This study defines subpopulation item parameter drift (SIPD) as a change in item parameters over time that is dependent on subpopulations of examinees, and hypothesizes that the presence of SIPD in anchor items is associated with bias and/or lack of invariance in three psychometric outcomes. Results show that SIPD in anchor items is associated with a lack of invariance in dimensionality structure of an anchor test, a lack of invariance in scaling coefficients across subpopulations, and a lack of invariance in ability estimates. It is demonstrated that these effects go beyond what can be understood from item parameter drift or differential item functioning.
Osteoarthritis and the Tactical Athlete: A Systematic Review

Objective: Although tactical athletes (eg, military service members, law enforcement personnel, fire fighters) are exposed to several known risk factors, it remains unclear if they are at increased...
Effect of air-conditioned environment on neurobehavioral function of workers

[Objective]To study the effects of air-conditioned environment on neurobehavioral function in workers. [Methods]Following the neurobehavioral core test battery(NCTB) recommended by WHO,86 workers who worked in enclosed air-conditioned environment(observation group) and 102 worked in non-air-conditioned environment(control group)were studied on their neurobehavioral function in a factory of Shenzhen City. [Results]The scores of negative mood state(stress-anxiety,sullen-depression,anger-hostility,fatigue-inertia,obfuscation-confusion) of workers in the observation group were significantly(or extremely significantly) higher than those in the control group(P0.05 or P0.01),while the scores of positive mood state(powerful-active)was significantly lower than that in the control group(P0.05).The average of the simple reaction time in the observation group was significantly longer than that in the control group(P0.01).The scores of digit symbol test in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group(P0.05).The number of error hitting points in the observation group was significantly higher than that of control group(P0.01). [Conclusion]Air-conditioned environment has a certain adverse effect on neurobehavioral function of workers.It is necessary to carry out the intervened measures in air-conditioned environment to raise body health of workers.
Effect of different respirtory rates on CO2 clearance during mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of low-rate conventional mechanical ventilation with high-rate strategy in clearing CO2 in patients of acute respiratory failure who are receiving continuous positive pressure mechanical ventilation.Methods We studied 16 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome during the adjustment of ventilator settings on the first day of invasive mechanical ventilation in pressure-controlled mode. At first we determined the positive end-expiratory pressure that suppressed any intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure at a respiratory rate of 15 breaths/min for 45 minutes, then changed to a high rate of 30 breaths/min for 45 minutes with the same airway pressure limitation (control pressure=30cmH2O), positive end-expiratory pressure and the same inspiratory expiratory time ratio (I:E). We compared blood gas analysis, respiratory measurements, and evaluation of hemodynamics by using two different respiratory strategies.Results Compared with the low-rate mechanical ventilation, the high-rate strategy neither significantly reduced PaCO2 nor significantly improved PaCO2. The latter significantly increased dynamic hyperinflation resulting in a substantial intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (P0.05). Right ventricular outflow impedance increased, leading to a significant increase in central venous pressure and drop in the cardiac index (P0.05).Conclusion A high respiratory rate, during mechanical ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome does not improve CO2 clearance, but it produces dynamic hyperinflation, impaires right ventricular ejection and reduces cardiac index.
Electronic states and potential energy surfaces of ScH2

Abstract Complete active space MC SCF (CAS SCF) followed by second-order configuration interaction (SOCI) calculations are carried out for the three lowest-lying states of ScH 2 . The potential energy surface of the 2 A 1 state is investigated as a function of bending angle. A barrier ( kcal mole ) is found for the insertion of Sc into H 2 to form the linear 2 Σ + g state. The ScH 2 2 Σ + g state is found to be only 5 kcal mole more stable than Sc+H 2 .
Post-directed-self-assembly membrane fabrication for in situ analysis of block copolymer structures

Full characterization of the three-dimensional structures resulting from the directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCP) remains a difficult challenge. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) tomography and resonant soft x-ray scattering have emerged as powerful and complementary methods for through-film characterization; both techniques require samples to be prepared on specialized membrane substrates. Here we report a generalizable process to implement BCP DSA with density multiplication on silicon nitride membranes. A key feature of the process developed here is that it does not introduce any artefacts or damage to the polymer assemblies as DSA is performed prior to back-etched membrane formation. Because most research and applications of BCP lithography are based on silicon substrates, process variations introduced by implementing DSA on a silicon nitride/silicon stack versus silicon were identified and mitigated. Using full-wafers, membranes were fabricated with different sizes and layouts to enable both TEM and x-ray characterization. Finally, both techniques were used to characterize structures resulting from the DSA of lamella-forming BCP with density multiplication.
The Conditions for Economic Recovery

(1984). The Conditions for Economic Recovery. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 1249-1254.
Clinical Assessment of Medical Students in the Emergency Department, a National Consensus Conference.

N/A This submission is intended to be a brief educational advance for the CORD/CDEM supplement (there was no drop-down option), which should not require an abstract
New technologies in value addition to the thin stillage from corn-to-ethanol process

Grain-to-ethanol production has increased steadily in the United States in the past few decades, which resulted in remarkable records in the availability of co-products. Dry-grind is the most common method of ethanol production worldwide, which concentrates the corn and yeast nutrients in the downstream operations. The ethanol co-products have traditionally been a commodity for livestock feed as they contain desirable nutrients, mostly sold as distiller’s grains. The liquid fraction produced after the centrifugation of the bottoms of the ethanol rectifying and distilling operations is named thin stillage, produced at volumes several times greater than those of ethanol. A portion of thin stillage is normally recycled as backset water, while the remaining goes through a series of evaporations. Evaporating a large amount of water from thin stillage is an energy-consuming process and recycling the thin stillage may lead to the accumulation of nutrients in co-products in distiller’s grains. There are several other industrial processes to utilize thin stillage, such as oil extraction, anaerobic digestion, and secondary fermentation. Recently, promising results have been reported on the production of important commodity chemicals, extracting high-value products, and energy production from thin stillage. This review provides an overview on the new processes and products via valorization of thin stillage by innovative technologies that are being currently developed. The new applications of thin stillage discussed in this review could open new opportunities for the ethanol plants and ethanol researchers by increasing the revenue and simultaneously reducing negative environmental impacts of ethanol production.
Impact of carbon nanotube geometrical volume on nonlinear absorption and scattering properties

Abstract Nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of carbon nanostructures are of great interest due to their broadband spectral response. As carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be synthesized with various lengths, thicknesses, and numbers of layers, their optical properties can also be different. We have performed side-by-side comparative studies of the relationship between the geometrical volume and NLO properties of CNTs. The real and imaginary components of the third order optical nonlinearity are obtained using well-known Z-scan technique. While the transmission and scattered light are detected using photodiodes, the generated photoacoustic signal is recorded simultaneously using an ultrasonic transducer. Results show an inverse relationship between the volume of CNTs and their NLO properties. This can be attributed to the availability of more nanoparticles within the laser beam profile and concurrent generation of scattering sites upon the absorption of incident radiation.
Obesity: Possible Psychological and Metabolic Determinants

Obesity is one of the major health problems in today’s society, with estimates that from 20 to 60 million Americans are substantially above their ideal body weight (Bray, 1976). Although a layperson’s conception of obesity is primarily based on visual assessment of body weight, obesity is more properly defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat. While several factors, such as age and physical activity, can affect adipose tissue mass. Bray (1976) has suggested that a fat content in excess of 20% in males and 28% in females could be used as a working guideline for defining obesity.
Mechanisms Regulating Trafficking of Stem Cells in Ischemic Heart Disease

Ischemic heart disease (IHD), which includes heart failure induced by myocardial infarction (MI) is the single most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Interestingly, US IHD death rates have declined from 1997 to 2007 by 27.8 %, yet the burden of IHD or myocardial ischemia remains high. Currently, IHD caused one of every six deaths in the USA, and despite the significant advancements in medical and revascularization therapies, the prognosis of millions of patients with IHD remains poor. Approximately 785,000 Americans will have a new IHD event every year, and up to 470,000 will have a recurrent episode. Alarmingly, every 25 s an American will suffer from a MI brought on by IHD, resulting in one death per minute. IHD is brought on by interruption of oxygenated blood supply to the heart muscle due to an occlusion of a coronary artery. The resulting ischemia causes myocardial cell death which often results in extensive tissue damage. Currently, heart transplantation is the only viable therapy to replace the infarcted myocardium but it has numerous glaring shortcomings such as limited availability of donors, post-procedural complications, side effects of long-term immunosuppressive therapies, and overall suboptimal patient prognosis. Until recently, the notion that MI-damaged myocardium could regenerate was non-existent. However, recent data from animal and human studies demonstrated the capability of adults to renew their cardiac cells with both resident cardiac stem cells and bone marrow (BM)-derived progenitor stem cell populations which propelled a new wave of translational research. The field of understanding the underpinnings of stem cell mobilization to sites of injury is rapidly growing. This chapter will examine breakthroughs in our understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell mobilization in the setting of IHD and future therapeutic strategies.
Effect of scapular elevation taping on scapular depression syndrome: A case report

Objective This report describes the application of scapular elevation taping (SET) using kinesio tape to elevate the scapula and treat upper trapezius (UT) muscle tenderness in a patient with scapular depression syndrome. Methods The patient was a 22-year-old man who had scapular depression and severe tenderness of the right UT. We performed SET for 2 months, 4 days a week, for an average of 9 h each day, to provide scapular elevation. Results At the last assessment, the right superior angle of the scapula and the lateral border of the acromion were slightly elevated compared with the spinous process of the second thoracic vertebra. A chest X-ray showed that the right coracoid process was higher compared to the initial level and that the level of the first ribs was similar on both sides. The pressure-pain threshold in the UT increased from 1 to 8 kg and the tenderness at 3 kg, assessed on a numeric rating scale, decreased from 6 to 0. No tenderness occurred when carrying a bag with the right hand or slinging a bag over the right shoulder. Conclusion Continuous application of SET may be used as a supplementary method for scapular elevation and reduction in patients with UT tenderness.
How consumers perceive comfort in apparel

Abstract: Human with clothing is a system that is always in a dynamic interaction with the environment. In this system, subjective perception of comfort involves very complex processes in which numerous stimuli (visual, thermal, tactile, etc.) from clothing and the environment communicate to the brain, and sensory perceptions are formulated with the evaluations against past experiences. It is very important to understand the working mechanism of the brain and the sensory system in order to understand the comfort perception. This chapter is a brief look into the brain, sensory system, skin and their functions. It also discusses the perception of different senses. In addition, the chapter outlines the overall comfort perception and highlights the importance of the psychological factors.
Genetic Neural Networks: an artificial neural network architecture for capturing gene expression relationships.

Motivation Gene expression prediction is one of the grand challenges in computational biology. The availability of transcriptomics data combined with recent advances in artificial neural networks provide an unprecedented opportunity to create predictive models of gene expression with far reaching applications. Results We present the Genetic Neural Network (GNN), an artificial neural network for predicting genome-wide gene expression given gene knockouts and master regulator perturbations. In its core, the GNN maps existing gene regulatory information in its architecture and it uses cell nodes that have been specifically designed to capture the dependencies and non-linear dynamics that exist in gene networks. These two key features make the GNN architecture capable to capture complex relationships without the need of large training datasets. As a result, GNNs were 40% more accurate on average than competing architectures (MLP, RNN, BiRNN) when compared on hundreds of curated and inferred transcription modules. Our results argue that GNNs can become the architecture of choice when building predictors of gene expression from exponentially growing corpus of genome-wide transcriptomics data. Availability and implementation https://github.com/IBPA/GNN. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
1381. Impact of Total Body Weight on Efficacy of Ceftriaxone in Obese Patients

Background Ceftriaxone (CRO), while highly protein bound, retains a small volume of distribution. Obese patients have larger volumes of distributions and higher clearance than nonobese patients. The effect of these differences on the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of CRO remain unclear.
Relationship among Breastfeeding Exposure, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Collegiate Males Residing in East Texas.

Background:Researchers exploring breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge among women suggest the decision to breastfeed is influenced by the male partner, yet few studies address males. Because colle...
Varicella Zoster Virus Induces Differential Cell-Type Specific Responses in Human Corneal Epithelial Cells and Keratocytes.

Purpose While VZV DNA and antigen have been detected in acute and chronic VZV keratitis, it is unclear whether productive infection of corneal cells is ongoing or whether residual, noninfectious VZV antigens elicit inflammation. Herein, we examined VZV-infected primary human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) and keratocytes (HKs) to elucidate the pathogenesis of VZV keratitis. Methods HCECs and HKs were mock- or VZV infected. Seven days later, cells were examined for morphology, proinflammatory cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) release, ability to recruit peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and neutrophils, and MMP substrate cleavage. Results Both cell types synthesized infectious virus. VZV-infected HCECs proliferated, whereas VZV-infected HKs died. Compared to mock-infected cells, VZV-infected HCECs secreted significantly more IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12p70 that were confirmed at the transcript level, and MMP-1 and MMP-9; conditioned supernatant attracted PBMCs and neutrophils and cleaved MMP substrates. In contrast, VZV-infected HKs suppressed cytokine secretion except for IL-8, which attracted neutrophils, and suppressed MMP release and substrate cleavage. Conclusions Overall, VZV-infected HCECs recapitulate findings of VZV keratitis with respect to epithelial cell proliferation, pseudodendrite formation and creation of a proinflammatory environment, providing an in vitro model for VZV infection of corneal epithelial cells. Furthermore, the proliferation and persistence of VZV-infected HCECs suggest that these cells may serve as viral reservoirs if immune clearance is incomplete. Finally, the finding that VZV-infected HKs die and suppress most proinflammatory cytokines and MMPs may explain the widespread death of these cells with unchecked viral spread due to ineffective recruitment of PBMCs.
Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is responsible for 10–15% of strokes, with a 1-year mortality rate of more than 40%. Functional independent outcome is estimated at 16.7–24.6% at 1 year following ICH. With the exception of strict blood pressure control, no medical intervention has been shown to improve outcomes for patients with spontaneous ICH. There is a lack of consensus on appropriate treatment despite the theoretical benefits of early hematoma evacuation and prevention of secondary insults following spontaneous ICH. The STITCH trials suggested that while surgery may improve outcomes in some patients with superficial lobar hemorrhages, attempts at targeting deeper lesions may disrupt viable tissue and overcome any benefits yielded by hematoma evacuation. A minimally invasive approach to the evacuation of intracranial hematomas has been a topic of interest for some time. While such approaches to hematoma evacuation have been described for several decades, advances in neuronavigation and neuroimaging have allowed for more precise access of deep-seated lesions, thus minimizing the trauma to viable brain parenchyma and improving success rates. Completion of three ongoing trials (MISTIE-III, INVEST, ENRICH) will likely change the management of spontaneous ICH in favor of MIS evacuation.
Dynamic Memory Effects in the Mechanochemistry of Cyclic Polymers

Cyclic polymers containing multiple gem-dichlorocyclopropane (gDCC) mechanophores along their backbone were prepared using ring expansion metathesis polymerization. The mechanochemistry of the cycl...
Wind Power Scenario Generation for Microgrid Day-Ahead Scheduling Using Sequential Generative Adversarial Networks

With the rapid increase in the distributed wind generation, considerable efforts have been devoted to the microgrid day-ahead scheduling. The effectiveness of these methods will highly depend on the selection of the uncertainty set. In this work, we propose a distribution-free approach for wind power scenario generation using sequential generative adversarial networks. To capture the temporal correlation, the proposed model adopts the long short-term memory architecture and uses the concept of generative adversarial networks coupled with reinforcement learning to guide the learning process. In contrast to the existing methods, the proposed model avoids manual labeling and captures the complex dynamics of the weather. The proposed scenario generation method is applied to the wind power dataset of Bonneville Power Administration. The results indicate that the scenarios generated by our model can characterize the variability of wind power in a better manner. The generated scenarios are compared with those produced by Gaussian distribution and kernel density estimation, in terms of two statistical scores.
Population Health in Women’s Healthcare

Population Health and Population management are widely applicable in an office as it is within larger societal populations. Each of the three components of population health has relevance in a local setting, as applied to women’s health procedures.
Trends in Utilization and Spending on Remote Monitoring of Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators among Medicare Beneficiaries

Background National trends and costs associated with remote and in-office interrogations of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter–defibrillators (ICDs) have not been previously described. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate utilization and Medicare spending for remote monitoring and in-office interrogations for pacemakers and ICDs. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of claims and spending for remote and in-office interrogations of pacemakers and ICDs for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2012 to 2015. Aggregate and per-beneficiary claims and spending were calculated for each device type. Results Among all patients, 41.9% were female and the mean age was 78.3 years. From 2012 to 2015, remote monitoring utilization increased sharply. Aggregate professional remote monitoring claims for pacemakers increased by 61.3% and for ICDs by 5.6%, with an increase in technical claims (combined for pacemakers and ICDs) of 32.8%. Spending on all remote and in-office interrogations for these devices totaled $160 million per year, with remote costs increasing nearly 25% from $45.4 million in 2012 to $56.7 million in 2015. At the beneficiary level, remote interrogations increased for pacemakers from 0.6 to 0.9 per year, and for ICDs from 1.3 to 1.4 per year, whereas in-office interrogations decreased from 2.8 to 2.7 per year and from 3.0 to 2.9 per year, respectively. Beneficiary-level analysis revealed increased expenditures on remote interrogation offset by decreases in in-office expenditures, with total annual spending decreasing by $2 and $5 per beneficiary, respectively. Conclusion Remote monitoring utilization increased substantially from 2012 to 2015, whereas annual costs per beneficiary decreased.
Radiographic evaluation of knee osteoarthritis in predicting outcomes after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy

Abstract Background Knee osteoarthritis (OA) severity is a predictor of outcomes after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) grading of OA is predictive of postoperative outcomes; this prospective study assessed whether radiographic grading is also predictive of outcomes. Methods Patients who underwent APM between February 2015 and January 2016, underwent radiography and MRI ≤ 6 months before surgery, and had outcomes from the surgery date and one year later were included. Surgical failure was defined as Results The study cohort included 66 knees from 64 patients (32 women; mean age, 57.1 years; range, 45–77). Radiographic grading was not predictive of outcomes (KL, AUC = 0.541 [95% CI: 0.358, 0.724]; continuous mJSW, AUC = 0.482 [95% CI: 0.305, 0.659]; ordinal mJSW, AUC = 0.534 [95% CI: 0.433, 0.634]). Comparison of radiographs showing no joint space narrowing (KL grade 0–2) with corresponding MR images demonstrated that 48% of radiographs missed a clinically significant lesion (modified Outerbridge grade ≥ 3). MRI grading was predictive of outcomes (AUC = 0.720 [95% CI: 0.581, 0.859]). Conclusions Radiographic grading of OA is not predictive of outcomes after APM; radiographs may miss clinically significant lesions. For outcome prediction, MRI should be used.
Dysphagia lusoria: utility of high-resolution impedance manometry to identify true disease.

Dysphagia lusoria is a rare cause of dysphagia due to impingement of the esophagus by an aberrant right subclavian artery. Although most remain asymptomatic, this aberrant vessel can lead to progressive dysphagia in childhood or even later in life as a result of arteriosclerotic burden and attenuation of esophageal compliance that led to esophageal compression. We present a 56-year-old man with a 3-year history of progressively worsening dysphagia to solids and liquids and globus sensation. Videofluoroscopic swallowing study (modified barium esophagram) and barium esophagram showed delayed barium tablet transit in the upper esophagus and focal smooth narrowing of the upper esophagus caused by external compression, respectively. Computed tomography imaging demonstrated external compression of proximal esophagus from an aberrant right subclavian artery with high atherosclerotic burden. In addition, high-resolution impedance manometry (HRiM) revealed a striking high-pressure pulsatile vascular band in the proximal esophagus (108 mmHg) associated with poor bolus transit, demonstrating the utility of HRiM in strengthening the diagnoses of true dysphagia lusoria.
An Investigation of Differences in Student Success and Persistence Rates by Course Modality

Emporium courses have been offered as an option to reduce the amount of time students spend in developmental mathematics courses. This study investigated differences in achievement and persistence in mathematics by course modality for students enrolled in developmental mathematics at a suburban community college in the Northeast United States from fall 2015 through spring 2019. Statistically significant differences existed in final exam score and course grades by course level. For the upper two developmental mathematics courses, achievement measures in emporium courses were comparable to face-to-face courses. Thus, an emporium model that is designed to provide a semi-structured schedule, prompt feedback, and frequent interactions with tutors and faculty is a viable option for middle- and upper-level courses. The emporium modality did not appear to benefit students placed into the lowest level course (i.e., pre-algebra) as grades and persistence rates were lower compared to face-to-face courses. Online course modality was not the best option across all course levels. The results of this study may have implications for post-secondary institutions that want to begin offering developmental mathematics courses in multiple modalities.
Women’s Status and National and International Security

Until the turn of the twenty-first century, mainstream scholars and professionals in national and international security have not viewed the well-being and security of women as important. Empirical literature has emerged, which demonstrates that this linkage is significant. This article surveys the literature, examining in particular issues of war, peace, and stability of nations in relation to women's status and security.
Regional differentiation of the sea urchin sperm plasma membrane.

In order to study the molecular basis for the functional localization and behavioral control of sperm, we have partially characterized plasma membranes prepared from isolated head and tail fractions. These membranes have similar amounts of the Na+ pump (as reflected by (Na+,K+)-ATPase activity), whereas they differ in protein composition, binding sites for Ca2+ channel antagonists, and in the localization of enzymes of cyclic nucleotide metabolism. The Ca2+ channel antagonist D600 (and related phenylalkylamines) binds to plasma membrane preparations from sperm heads and tails with much higher affinity than do the dihydropyridine antagonists. This binding is inhibited greatly by certain monovalent (but not divalent) ions, especially Na+, Tris+, glycine ethyl ester+, and methylamine+.K+,Li+, and choline+ are less effective. In media of ionic composition resembling seawater, sperm tail membranes exhibit 6.5-fold more binding sites for D600 than do membranes from sperm head. cGMP phosphodiesterase and adenylate cyclase are also enriched in plasma membranes from the tail. Thus, the highly polarized sperm cell exhibits a regional differentiation of plasma membrane proteins implicated in behavioral control.
Estrogen-progestin replacement therapy and breast cancer risk: the Women's Health Study (United States).

Objective: While there is substantial evidence that unopposed estrogen use increases the risk of breast cancer, there are limited data from epidemiologic studies on the impact of estrogen–progestin combinations. We therefore examined estrogen–progestin replacement therapy and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study. Methods: We investigated postmenopausal hormone (PMH) use among 17,835 apparently healthy postmenopausal women aged ≥45 years, and followed them prospectively for an average of 5.9 years. Breast cancer occurred in 411 women. Results: The multivariate relative risks of all breast cancer associated with never use of PMH, use of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), and use of estrogen–progestin replacement therapy (HRT) were 1.00 (referent), 0.96 (95% CI 0.65–1.42), and 1.37 (95% CI 1.05–1.78). The increase in risk among users of HRT was largely limited to those women who had used estrogen–progestin replacement therapy for five years or more, and to those women who were on continuous rather than cyclic progestin combinations. Higher doses of estrogen, but not progestin, were associated with increased breast cancer risk, compared with lower doses. Conclusions: These prospective data suggest that use of estrogen–progestin replacement therapy imparts an increased risk of breast cancer in comparison with never use of PMH.
Exact and heuristic algorithms for the DNA fragment assembly problem

As more and more public and private genomic assemblies are available, the need for comparison of different computation methods used in the DNA fragment assembly becomes apparent. In this work, we design, implement, and test four heuristic algorithms for assembling DNA fragments. We also design, implement and test an exact algorithm to solve the fragment assembly problem.
Radar detectability of asteroids - A survey of opportunities for 1977 through 1987

The study of asteroids by earth-based radar during the period 1977 to 1987 is discussed. Detection modeling, including backscattering laws, limits of detectability, and in particular, measurement of center frequency, center-to-limb bandwidth, and areal spectral density, is reviewed. The number of detectable objects and detectable events falling into various 5-decibel radar target loss slots is estimated; a total of 60 different asteroids should be observable on about 130 occasions by either the Goldstone or Arecibo radar systems during the decade considered. Furthermore, the detectability margins for many objects should be large enough to permit more refined analysis of the radar spectrograms. Data acquired during the ten-year period may be used to find the radius, average surface roughness, rotation rate, direction of polar axis, and estimates of the Doppler frequency offsets for many of the asteroids. Also, information about radar albedos and orbital parameters may be obtainable in a number of cases.