cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of sustained ventricular arrhythmias with transient myocardial ischemia in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome

Background: Myocardial ischemia is a known substrate for the development of malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Purpose: The purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias at the time of transient myocardial ischemia in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Patients who presented to the emergency department at the San Francisco Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, Calif, with chest pain or anginal equivalent were enrolled in a prospective study involving 12-lead electrocardiogram Holter ST-segment monitoring. Transient myocardial ischemia was defined as a change in ST-segment amplitude of 200 lV or greater in 1 lead or more or 100 lV or greater in 2 leads or more, lasting for at least 60 seconds. An associated arrhythmia was defined as sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation during or 10 minutes before or after an ST event. Results: One thousand one hundred thirty-six (emergency department) patients evaluated for chest pain/anginal equivalent were monitored for 24 hours. Of these, 270 patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of ACS (acute myocardial infarction, n = 95; unstable angina, n = 175). Of the 270 patients, 31 (11%) had a total of 44 STevents (number, 1.4F 1.6; range, 1-10; duration, 27 F 15 minutes). Of the 44 ST events, 24 (55%) had an isolated premature ventricular contraction or ventricular couplet; however, none had associated sustained VT/ventricular fibrillation. The figure below shows the longest sustained arrhythmia (9-beat VT) among the 31 patients, and it occurred in the absence of electrocardiogram signs of ischemia. Conclusions:With current medical management, frequency of ischemia is low in patients hospitalized with ACS, and malignant ventricular arrhythmias were not observed in this cohort.
Preservice Teacher Beliefs About Proofs

This article describes a study of backgrounds, beliefs, and attitudes of teachers about proofs. Thirty preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a mathematics content course and 21 secondary mathematics teachers in an abstract algebra course were surveyed. The study explored four issues: preservice teachers' experiences/exposure to proof, their beliefs about what constitutes a proof and the role of proof in mathematics, and their beliefs about when proof should be introduced in grades K-12. Results of the survey are described as a means for discussing the backgrounds and beliefs future teachers hold with regard to teaching proofs in their own classrooms. Finally, a short collection of sample explorations and questions, which could be used to encourage the thinking and writing of proofs in grades K-12, is provided. One of these questions was posed to 215 secondary students; examples of their reasoning and a discussion of the various techniques employed by the students are included.
Massive pulmonary thromboembolism during elective spine surgery

Massive pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a condition that can still be seen in the operating room despite the use of thromboprophylaxis. A high degree of suspicion of this condition is necessary to achieve an early diagnosis and a rapid treatment to improve patient outcome. We report on a 27-year-old patient who sustained a massive PTE while undergoing a second-stage anterior release and posterior fusion of his thoracolumbar spine for idiopathic scoliosis.
Similarity and emergence in conceptual combination

Abstract The influence of similarity on emergence in interpretations of conceptual combinations was assessed. Participants wrote two definitions for each of eight similar and eight dissimilar word pairs and then listed the important features of each definition. Those features were compared with the features collected from a different group of participants who listed the characteristic properties of the parent concepts presented individually. Features listed for the combinations but not for the parent concepts separately were considered emergent. Similar pairs led to fewer emergent features than dissimilar pairs, and first attempts at defining the combinations produced fewer emergent features than second attempts. Definitions of similar pairs more often assigned a property of one concept to the other, whereas definitions of dissimilar pairs more often identified a thematic relation between the concepts. Similar pairs and first attempts also had higher proportions of features from within the structural alignments of the combinations' parent concepts. The results are consistent with the influence of structural alignment on conceptual combination and with a “quick fix” hypothesis. Members of similar pairs, which could easily be aligned, facilitated the identification of a property of the modifier to project onto the head noun, and their compatible structures required little emergent modification to incorporate the projected property. Dissimilar pairs, whose structures were less readily alignable, provided fewer projectible properties, required more emergent modification to incorporate them, and more often required participants to go beyond the alignable properties of the parent concepts to achieve coherent interpretations. On second definitions, participants may have pursued less satisfactory secondary alignments that led to less property projection more emergent features.
Supported Employment Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial of ACT and Clubhouse Models

Objective: In a randomized controlled trial, a vocationally integrated program of assertive community treatment (ACT) was compared with a certified clubhouse in the delivery of supported employment services. Methods: Employment rates, total work hours, and earnings for 121 adults with serious mental illness interested in work were compared with published benchmark figures for exemplary supported employment programs. The two programs were then compared on service engagement, retention, and employment outcomes in regression analyses that controlled for background characteristics, program preference, and vocational service receipt. Results: Outcomes for 63 ACT and 58 clubhouse participants met or exceeded most published outcomes for specialized supported employment teams. Compared with the clubhouse program, the ACT program had significantly (p<.05) better service engagement (ACT, 98 percent; clubhouse, 74 percent) and retention (ACT, 79 percent; clubhouse, 58 percent) over 24 months, but there was no significant difference in employment rates (ACT, 64 percent; clubhouse, 47 percent). Compared with ACT participants, clubhouse participants worked significantly longer (median of 199 days versus 98 days) for more total hours (median of 494 hours versus 234 hours) and earned more (median of $3,456 versus $1,252 total earnings). Better work performance by clubhouse participants was partially attributable to higher pay. Conclusions: Vocationally integrated ACT and certified clubhouses can achieve employment outcomes similar to those of exemplary supported employment teams. Certified clubhouses can effectively provide supported employment along with other rehabilitative services, and the ACT program can ensure continuous integration of supported employment with clinical care. (Psychiatric Services 57:1406–1415, 2006)
Ancient micronauts: interplanetary transport of microbes by cosmic impacts

Recent developments in microbiology, geophysics and planetary sciences raise the possibility that the planets in our solar system might not be biologically isolated. Hence, the possibility of lithopanspermia (the interplanetary transport of microbial passengers inside rocks) is presently being re-evaluated, with implications for the origin and evolution of life on Earth and within our solar system. Here, I summarize our current understanding of the physics of impacts, space transport of meteorites, and the potentiality of microorganisms to undergo and survive interplanetary transfer.
ADENYLATE AS A METABOLIC REGULATOR. EFFECT ON YEAST PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE KINETICS.

A possible mechanism for the frequently proposed involvement of phosphofructokinase in regulation of the rate of carbohydrate metabolism was suggested by the finding of Lardy and Parks (1) that this enzyme is inhibited by excess adenosine triphosphate. Mansour and Mansour (2) showed phosphofructokinase of the liver fluke to be stimulated by cyclic adenosine 3’,5’-monophosphate. Inhibition of the corresponding enzyme from guinea pig heart by ATP is overcome by 3’, 5’-AMP, 5’-AMP, or ADP (3). Similar properties of phosphofructokinase from skeletal muscle were suggested as a possible explanation of the Pasteur effect (4). Since 3’,5’-AMP seems to be generally associated with hormonal control mechanisms, we investigated the properties of phosphofructokinase from yeast, the classical organism for study of the Pasteur effect and one presumably lacking hormones. The effect of 5’-AMP on the kinetics of yeast DPN-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (5) had led us to suspect that this nucleotide may play an important role in the control of energy metabolism in yeast. The results presented here suggest that the ratio of the concentrations of AMP and ATP may regulate the activity of phosphofructokinase in yeast.
A family-based joint test for mean and variance heterogeneity for quantitative traits.

Summary Traditional quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis focuses on identifying loci associated with mean heterogeneity. Recent research has discovered loci associated with phenotype variance heterogeneity (vQTL), which is important in studying genetic association with complex traits, especially for identifying gene–gene and gene–environment interactions. While several tests have been proposed to detect vQTL for unrelated individuals, there are no tests for related individuals, commonly seen in family-based genetic studies. Here we introduce a likelihood ratio test (LRT) for identifying mean and variance heterogeneity simultaneously or for either effect alone, adjusting for covariates and family relatedness using a linear mixed effect model approach. The LRT test statistic for normally distributed quantitative traits approximately follows χ2-distributions. To correct for inflated Type I error for non-normally distributed quantitative traits, we propose a parametric bootstrap-based LRT that removes the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) of family random effect. Simulation studies show that our family-based test controls Type I error and has good power, while Type I error inflation is observed when family relatedness is ignored. We demonstrate the utility and efficiency gains of the proposed method using data from the Framingham Heart Study to detect loci associated with body mass index (BMI) variability.
Topological Lines in 3D Tensor Fields

Visualization of 3D tensor fields continues to be a major challenge in terms of providing intuitive and uncluttered images that allow the users to better understand their data. The primary focus of this paper is on finding a formulation that lends itself to a stable numerical algorithm for extracting stable and persistent topological features from 2nd order real symmetric 3D tensors. While features in 2D tensors can be identified as either wedge or trisector points, in 3D, the corresponding stable features are lines, not just points. These topological feature lines provide a compact representation of the 3D tensor field and are essential in helping scientists and engineers understand their complex nature. Existing techniques work by finding degenerate points and are not numerically stable, and worse, produce both false positive and false negative feature points. This paper seeks to address this problem with a robust algorithm that can extract these features in a numerically stable, accurate, and complete manner.
Unreliability of M-Mode Left Ventricular Dimensions for Calculating Stroke Volume and Cardiac Output in Patients Without Heart Disease

Single-dimension left ventricular echocardiographic measurements are currently being used in investigational studies as the basis for evaluating cardiac output parameters in normal subjects, even though vaIidity of the metbod for normal subjects has not been established. We prospectively compared stroke volume derived from M mode left ventricular dimensions (LVID) to Fick stroke volume in 20 patients with no objective evidence of cardiac disease. Based on simultaneous studies, stroke volume by Fick ranged from 39 to 121 ontroversy exists as to the accuracy and relic ability of using single-dimension echocardiographic measurements for quantifying or estimating ventricular Despite multiple potential sources of error in using a single dimension to estimate vol~me,~ early studies showed good correlation between stroke volume derived from M mode echocardiographic left ventricular dimensions (LVID) and stroke volume derived from angiographic610 or Fick methods.l17l2 The majority of these early study groups were comprised of patients with a variety of cardiac abnormalities, and statistical analyses were not applied to subjects grouped by disease entities. Significant error in the LVID method for individual patient groups has since been reported and errors partially accounted for by the presence of left ventricular (LV) dyssynergy and LV dilatation. Single-dimension echocardiographic measure
Factors contributing to the onset of the Australian summer monsoon

Using the reanalyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) and precipitation data for 1979–93, this paper examines major factors contributing to the onset of the Australian summer monsoon. The low-level (850 hPa) westerly wind and convective activity (OLR, precipitation) over a region in northern Australia (NAU) are used to determine the onset dates. Composite results are then derived, based on these dates. Daily apparent heat source and apparent moisture sink values are obtained as residuals of the large-scale heat and moisture budgets to help clarify the roles of the various heating processes in the onset. Four major factors contributing to the onset are identified: (1) land–sea thermal contrast, (2) barotropic instability, (3) arrival of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and (4) intrusion of midlatitude troughs. The thermal contrast due to differential heating between land and sea acts as a seasonal preconditioning for the onset. The sensible heating over the continent leads to a reversal of meridional temperature gradient between the Australian continent and the Arafura Sea in a layer below 800 hPa in September–March, and sets up a thermally induced meridional–vertical circulation which helps to transport low-level moist air inland. The barotropic instability criterion is often met at 850 hPa in NAU several days prior to the onset. The sudden onset is then triggered by the arriving MJO and at times by the intrusion of a midlatitude trough. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
Lack of adherence of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to asialo-GM(1) on epithelial cells.

Numerous studies have reported that asialo-GM1, gangliotetraosylceramide, or moieties serve as epithelial cell receptors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Usually this interaction is confirmed with antibodies to asialo-GM1. However, few, if any, of these reports have evaluated the binding of fresh clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa to asialo-GM1 or the specificity of the antibodies for the asialo-GM1 antigen. We confirmed that asialo-GM1 dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide could be added to the apical membrane of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells growing as a polarized epithelium on Transwell membranes (J. C. Comolli, L. L. Waite, K. E. Mostov, and J. N. Engel, Infect. Immun. 67:3207–3214, 1999) and that such treatment enhanced the binding of P. aeruginosa strain PA103. However, no other P. aeruginosa strain, including eight different clinical isolates, exhibited enhanced binding to asialo-GM1-treated cells. Studies with commercially available antibodies to asialo-GM1 showed that these preparations had high titers of antibody to P. aeruginosa antigens, including whole cells, purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and pili. Inhibition studies showed that adsorption of an antiserum to asialo-GM1 with P. aeruginosa cells could remove the reactivity of antibodies to asialo-GM1, and adsorption of this serum with asialo-GM1 removed antibody binding to P. aeruginosa LPS. Antibodies in sera raised to asialo-GM1 were observed to bind to P. aeruginosa cells by immunoelectron microscopy. Antibodies to asialo-GM1 inhibited formation of a biofilm by P. aeruginosa in the absence of mammalian cells, indicating a direct inhibition of bacterial cell-cell interactions. These findings demonstrate that asialo-GM1 is not a major cellular receptor for clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and that commercially available antibodies raised to this antigen contain high titers of antibody to multiple P. aeruginosa antigens, which do not interfere with the binding of P. aeruginosa to mammalian cells but possibly interfere with the binding of P. aeruginosa cells to each other.
Label-free quantitative proteomics of the lysine acetylome in mitochondria identifies substrates of SIRT3 in metabolic pathways

Large-scale proteomic approaches have identified numerous mitochondrial acetylated proteins; however in most cases, their regulation by acetyltransferases and deacetylases remains unclear. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is an NAD+-dependent mitochondrial protein deacetylase that has been shown to regulate a limited number of enzymes in key metabolic pathways. Here, we use a rigorous label-free quantitative MS approach (called MS1 Filtering) to analyze changes in lysine acetylation from mouse liver mitochondria in the absence of SIRT3. Among 483 proteins, a total of 2,187 unique sites of lysine acetylation were identified after affinity enrichment. MS1 Filtering revealed that lysine acetylation of 283 sites in 136 proteins was significantly increased in the absence of SIRT3 (at least twofold). A subset of these sites was independently validated using selected reaction monitoring MS. These data show that SIRT3 regulates acetylation on multiple proteins, often at multiple sites, across several metabolic pathways including fatty acid oxidation, ketogenesis, amino acid catabolism, and the urea and tricarboxylic acid cycles, as well as mitochondrial regulatory proteins. The widespread modification of key metabolic pathways greatly expands the number of known substrates and sites that are targeted by SIRT3 and establishes SIRT3 as a global regulator of mitochondrial protein acetylation with the capability of coordinating cellular responses to nutrient status and energy homeostasis.
Multilevel Adaptive Methods for Semi-Implicit Solution of Shallow-Water Equations on a Sphere

Abstract A multigrid algorithm for local refinement in time and space for an Eulerian formulation of the shallow-water equations on a sphere is presented. It is shown that the accuracy obtainable on a full global grid can be reached using local patches in time and space. Results are presented using a model problem with a large-scale disturbance and a problem with topography and realistic initial conditions.
The role of low-level moisture convergence and ocean latent heat fluxes in the Madden and Julian oscillation : An observational analysis using ISCCP data and ECMWF analyses

Abstract This paper examines whether or not low-level moisture convergence and surface latent heat flux act as forcing mechanisms of the Madden and Julian oscillation (MJO), as it is proposed by the theories of wave-CISK (conditional instability of the second kind) and evaporation-wind feedback. The mean brightness temperature of cloudy pixels at 11 μm, obtained from five years of International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project data, is used as a proxy for tropical convective activity. Five years of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analyses are used to estimate surface latent heat fluxes and moisture divergence integrated in the low levels of the troposphere. Spectral analysis of latent heat fluxes over the Indian and Pacific Oceans shows significant spectral peaks in the frequency band of the MJO. These peaks are due mainly to the oscillation in the surface wind speed rather than in the specific humidity difference. Principal component analysis and tagged correlation patterns of filte...
The soil–peace nexus: our common future

AbstractThe strong soil–peace link is governed by the need for finite, but essential, resources intricately connected with ecosystem services and functions. Access to adequate and nutritious food is essential to human wellbeing, peace and tranquillity. The relation between soil/environmental scarcity and conflict is complex, and security can only be universal, rather than local or regional, in the present era of globalization. Civil strife and conflict can be caused by both resource paucity and rapacity. Anthropogenic perturbations leading to soil degradation, climate volatility and growing human demands (e.g., food, energy, water, minerals) derived from soil are potential flash points triggering violence at local, regional and global scales. Among different types of drought, pedological and agronomic droughts are triggered by soil degradation, decline in available water capacity of the root zone and changes in the hydrological cycle. Several regions with unstable governments are prone to water scarcity a...
Studies on the Purification and Characterization of Boar Acrosin

Mammalian fertilization requires that a sperm cell penetrates the ovum investments (Fig. 1). Penetration is aided by hydrolytic enzymes from the acrosome(a modified lysosome located on the anterior portion of the sperm head). Ejaculated sperm are unable to penetrate these layers until they have undergone a functional change in the female reproductive tract, a process referred to as capaci-tation [2, 3]. We believe capacitation involves the activation, release or exposure of the sperm acrosomal hydrolytic enzymes, as well as labilization of sperm membranes.
Socrates in the schools: Gains at three-year follow-up

Three recent research reports by Topping and Trickey (2007a; 2007b), by Fair and colleagues (2015), and by Gorard, Siddiqui and Huat See (2015) have produced data that support the conclusion that a Philosophy for Children (P4C) program of one-hour-per-week structured discussions has a marked positive impact on students. This article presents data from a follow up study done three years after the completion of the study reported in Fair et al. (2015). The data show that the positive gains in scores on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT in the USA and CAT in the UK) were still present and had not faded after three years. Given the strength of these confirmations of the positive durable impact of the P4C program of structured discussions and given the relatively low cost of implementing the P4C program, it is recommended that it become a standard part of the school curriculum.
Certification of reciprocating engine aircraft oils and additives by supplemental type certification procedures

Certification d'une huile pour moteur d'avion a pistons alternatifs et de ses additifs par des procedures complementaires
Effective properties of periodic tubular structures

A method is described to calculate effective tensor properties of a periodic array of two-phase dielectric tubes embedded in a host matrix. The method uses Weierstrass' quasiperodic functions for representation of the potential that considerably facilitates the problem and allows us to find an exact expression for the effective tensor. For weakly interacting tubes we obtain Maxwell-like approximation of the effective parameter which is in very good agreement with experimental results in considered examples.
Educate. Agitate. Organize: New and Not-So-New Teacher Movements

The articles collected within these virtual pages knit together intimate portraits of educators and communities from Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Arizona, Indiana, and North Carolina and their struggles in fighting for the democratic and, at times, revolutionary and humanizing ideals that are still to be realized within the project of public education in the United States. Though at times disparate in how and where these struggles take place—in the street, in the classroom, in the school, in the union meeting, in the home, in the courtroom—what threads these qualitative sketches together is the collective double-movement of the teachers they document. One the one hand, teachers hold radical critiques of the way things are and the shape of the river, as it were, in the direction things are going (without any kind of romanticizing of a past that never was). On the other hand, these critiques are met with intentional, organized, and informed action. Because of and despite the kinds of neoliberal policies that have made it almost impossible to engage in liberatory pedagogy and create loving and caring communities in the classroom, teachers are figuring out ways to resist, to endure, and to transform public education.
An Application of a Functional Inequality to Quasi-Invariance in Infinite Dimensions

One way to interpret smoothness of a measure in infinite dimensions is quasi-invariance of the measure under a class of transformations. Usually such settings lack a reference measure such as the Lebesgue or Haar measure, and therefore we cannot use smoothness of a density with respect to such a measure. We describe how a functional inequality can be used to prove quasi-invariance results in several settings. In particular, this gives a different proof of the classical Cameron-Martin (Girsanov) theorem for an abstract Wiener space. In addition, we revisit several more geometric examples, even though the main abstract result concerns quasi-invariance of a measure under a group action on a measure space.
Clozapine's Effect on Recidivism Among Offenders with Mental Disorders

Mental disorder is associated with criminal reoffending, especially violent acts of offending. Features of mental disorder, psychosocial stresses, substance use disorder, and personality disorder combine to increase the risk of criminal recidivism. Clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic, is indicated in the treatment of patients with psychotic disorders. This article is the report of a community follow-up study of a matched control of those treated with clozapine (n = 41) and those treated with other antipsychotics (n = 21). Rates of reoffending behavior in the general, nonviolent, violent, and sexual categories were calculated after two years of follow-up. Although not statistically significant, the two-year criminal conviction rates of those treated with other antipsychotics in all offense categories except sexual reoffending were two-fold higher than in those treated with clozapine. The time from release to the first offense and crime-free time in the community were significantly longer in the clozapine group. By prolonging the time it takes from release to first offense, clozapine confers additional crime-reduction advantages.
Monte Carlo Simulation of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer in 3D Nanoscale Organic Bulk Heterojunction Morphologies

Influence of donor and acceptor domain sizes and their mesoscopic ordering on exciton dynamics are investigated as a function of energetic disorder in three-dimensional blend morphologies of bulk heterojunction solar cells (BHJ-SCs). Several BHJ-SC geometries, including bilayer, evenly distributed, graded, and ordered morphologies, are used in this investigation to estimate the exciton’s fundamental properties, such as dissociation probability, average number of hops, mean displacement, average dissociation time, and diffusion coefficient as a function of energetic disorder. This study uses an exponential distribution of exciton lifetimes to simulate realistic photocarrier dynamics. Simulation results suggest that the exciton dissociation efficiency estimated using the exponential lifetime model is over 13.5% smaller than that estimated using the constant exciton lifetime model, especially in blends with low energetic disorder. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results of exciton diffusion coefficients agree re...
Rescheduling of combination hydrocodone products: problems for long-term care practitioners

The Drug Enforcement Administration recently announced the final rule to reschedule hydrocodone combinations from schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act to the more restrictive schedule II category. This regulatory change will have broad operational implications for practitioners serving the health care needs of long-term care residents. Stakeholders will need to work collectively to identify possible efficiencies to counter some of the anticipated costs as well as its effect on patient care.
P9: THE ROLE OF PROCALCITONIN IN SEPSIS

Purpose of Study This study will discuss the pathogenesis of sepsis, procalcitonin as a diagnostic prognostic marker for sepsis, other biomarkers of sepsis and sepsis treatment. Methods Used as required. Summary of Results Sepsis is a systemic immune response to infection by microbial organisms. Its complications are one of the leading causes of mortality. Mortality rate in sepsis remains high despite the current advances in medical science. Serum biomarkers like procalcitonin may aid in the early diagnosis of sepsis and therapeutic intervention.Procalcitonin belongs to a class of molecules, called “hormokines,” given the hormonal origin of the protein and the inflammation-related functions of its propeptides. Procalcitonin is a potent amplifier of the inflammatory cascade. It has shown that it induces pro-inflammatory like effects on leukocytes (increased the expression of surface markers), increases leukocyte-derived cytokines and also augments nitric oxide. Procalcitonin was found to be a more accurate diagnostic parameter for sepsis. A systemic review and meta-analysis revealed that procalcitonin has a mean sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 79%. Elevated level of procalcitonin was found to be a better predictor of mortality and identify patients at higher risk of adverse outcomes.Procalcitonin is found to be superior to C-reactive protein, TNF-α, Interleukins and Lactate levels in terms of accuracy at identifying sepsis and assessing the severity of sepsis. Implementation of a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy in clinical setting was associated with a reduced duration of antibiotic therapy in septic patients without compromising clinical or economical outcomes. Conclusions Procalcitonin has been proved to be more reliable biomarker in diagnosing sepsis and predicting clinical outcome. Integrating use of procalcitonin in the early golden hours of sepsis diagnosis and antibiotic stewardship program would be beneficial. This review identified the association of procalcitonin and sepsis. There is still a need for better understanding of how procalcitonin fits in the immune response, therefore further studies should be towards exploring the immunological role of procalcitonin in sepsis.
Design of a scattering turbidity sensor

Refer to relevant standards about turbidity measurement and combined with feature of conventional low turbidity measurements,a 90°scattering turbidity on-line sensor is designed,and measuring principle,optical path design,structure design and measurement and control circuit design are introduced. Refer to relevant standard,experimental verification is conducted measurement repeatability is 0. 25 %,span drift is 1. 2 %,and linearity error is 1. 2 %. Experimental results show that the sensor has good measurement repeatability and high measurement precision,especially suit for turbidity monitoring in the occasions of water environment monitoring and water pollution control.
Properties of individual lasers

The CO2 laser has been the primary instrument for surgery. The specific absorption of its middle infrared output of 10 600 nm light by water in biological tissue is independent of tissue color, unlike the argon laser. Furthermore, its minimization of tissue damage with virtually no scattering differentiates it from the Nd: YAG laser. This high degree of absorption in soft tissue with limited lateral damage is what makes the CO2 laser a precise surgical instrument to use for vaporizing tissue with a hands-off technique. The hallmark of the CO2 laser therefore is its surgical precision. It performs in the following order of suitability: cutting, vaporization, coagulation.
An Industrial View on Thorium: Possibilities, Challenges and Paths Forward

Thorium is again the new hype in various debates on sustainable nuclear energy systems but should be demystified, as Th-dedicated systems will take decades to develop and will not be possible without an initial long period of complementarity with the U–Pu cycle and without a government’s long-term vision and involvement. There may be a market in the medium term for U–Th and Pu–Th fuels, depending on international requirements for nuclear energy systems and fuels. Areva and Solvay are teaming up to investigate Th fuel options as complement to the U–Pu cycle and to address a holistic thorium valorization approach both in the rare-earth and nuclear energy markets.
Self-reported and case file maltreatment: relations to psychosocial outcomes for youth in foster care

The aim of the current study was to explore the relation between maltreatment and psychosocial outcomes for youth in foster care, and how this relation differs according to reporter type (self-report or case file). Participants included 285 children and adolescents and their caregivers who completed self-report questionnaires about lifetime maltreatment and psychosocial adjustment. Youths' case files containing lifetime maltreatment reports were obtained from Division of Social Services (DSS), and were coded for physical and sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect using the Modified Maltreatment Classification System (MMCS; English & LONGSCAN Investigators, 1997). Crosstabs analysis was used to summarize proportions of youth whose caregivers reported clinically significant internalizing and externalizing and average to high adaptive functioning within groups of youth who had a) neither self-reported nor case file maltreatment, b) only case file maltreatment, c) only self-reported maltreatment, and d) both case file and self-reported maltreatment for each maltreatment type (physical and sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect). RESULTS showed that externalizing symptoms differ according to reporter type for physical and sexual abuse, and that internalizing symptoms differ according to reporter type for sexual abuse. Implications for methodology in maltreatment research are discussed. Language: en
Dynamics of Functional Difficulties and Wellbeing

This chapter uses the longitudinal data for Ethiopia, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda to investigate some dynamic links between disability and wellbeing. The functional difficulty trajectories of individuals are significantly associated with different levels of wellbeing. Persons with persistent functional difficulties are worse off than persons with functional difficulties in one or no period. Women with persistent difficulties and older persons with persistent difficulties are the most deprived groups. New functional difficulties lower the odds to continue working and no longer reporting any difficulty increases the odds of returning to work. Functional difficulties are also associated with mortality in the short-term. More research is needed on the links between disability, on the one hand, and poverty dynamics and mortality, on the other.
Abstract 21023: Population Attributable Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Associated With Hypertension and Prehypertension in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Introduction: African Americans are disproportionately affected by hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Determining the population attributable risk (PAR) for CVD associated with HT...
Data-Science Analysis of the Macro-scale Features Governing the Corrosion to Crack Transition in AA7050-T7451

This study applies data science approaches (random forest and logistic regression) to determine the extent to which macro-scale corrosion damage features govern the crack formation behavior in AA7050-T7451. Each corrosion morphology has a set of corresponding predictor variables (pit depth, volume, area, diameter, pit density, total fissure length, surface roughness metrics, etc.) describing the shape of the corrosion damage. The values of the predictor variables are obtained from white light interferometry, x-ray tomography, and scanning electron microscope imaging of the corrosion damage. A permutation test is employed to assess the significance of the logistic and random forest model predictions. Results indicate minimal relationship between the macro-scale corrosion feature predictor variables and fatigue crack initiation. These findings suggest that the macro-scale corrosion features and their interactions do not solely govern the crack formation behavior. While these results do not imply that the macro-features have no impact, they do suggest that additional parameters must be considered to rigorously inform the crack formation location.
Recent decline in extratropical lower stratospheric ozone attributed to circulation changes

1998-2016 ozone trends in the lower stratosphere (LS) are examined using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) and related NASA products. After removing biases resulting from step-changes in the MERRA-2 ozone observations, a discernible negative trend of -1.67±0.54 Dobson units per decade (DU/decade) is found in the 10-km layer above the tropopause between 20°N and 60°N. A weaker but statistically significant trend of -1.17±0.33 DU/decade exists between 50°S and 20°S. In the Tropics, a positive trend is seen in a 5-km layer above the tropopause. Analysis of an idealized tracer in a model simulation constrained by MERRA-2 meteorological fields provides strong evidence that these trends are driven by enhanced isentropic transport between the tropical (20°S-20°N) and extratropical LS in the past two decades. This is the first time that a reanalysis dataset has been used to detect and attribute trends in lower stratospheric ozone.
Parents' interpretation of instructions to control the dose of fluoridated toothpaste used with young children.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the average amounts of fluoridated toothpaste applied by parents to a child's toothbrush in response to instructions to limit the quantity to a "pea-sized" or "smear" amount. Methods Fifty parents of 12- to 71-month-old children participated in this study. They were presented with three toothbrushes and asked to apply the amount of toothpaste they use typically with their child-a smear or a pea-sized quantity. The results were compared to the recommended weights of 0.25 g (pea-sized) and 0.125 g (smear). Results The mean amount applied in response to a "smear" weighed 0.21 ± 0.19 g, which differed from the recommended weight of 0.125 g (P=.002). The mean amount applied in response to a "pea" weighed 0.30 ± 0.21 g, which was greater than but not statistically significantly different from the recommended weight of 0.25 g (P=.10). Parents applied, on average, 0.33 ± 0.24 g of toothpaste when instructed to apply the amount they typically use with their child. Conclusions Most parents use more fluoridated toothpaste than is recommended for young children and verbal instructions to limit the dose are ineffective. Education by demonstrating a smear and pea-sized amounts of fluoridated toothpaste is recommended.
The Culture and History of Standards-Based Educational Reform and Social Studies in America

There is no surprise that the culture of America’s public education system is continually changing. More than a decade ago the federal initiative No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law; a law that many consider the pinnacle of the standards-based educational reform (SBER). The purpose of this study was to define the nature, culture, and meaning of the contemporary standards-based educational reform movement, and to trace the historical roots of the SBER via federal and state educational policies, as well as the work of various professional organizations.
Trajectory of Excess Medical Expenditures 10 Years Before and After Diabetes Diagnosis Among U.S. Adults Aged 25–64 Years, 2001–2013

OBJECTIVE We assessed the excess medical expenditures for adults newly diagnosed with diabetes, for up to 10 years before and after diabetes diagnosis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using the 2001–2013 MarketScan data, we identified people with newly diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 25–64 years (diabetes cohort) and matched them with people who did not have diagnosed diabetes (control cohort) using 1:1 propensity score matching. We followed these two cohorts up to ±10 years from the index date, with annual matched cohort sizes ranging from 3,922 to 39,726 individuals. We estimated the yearly and cumulative excess medical expenditures of the diabetes cohorts before and after the diagnosis of diabetes. RESULTS The per-capita annual total excess medical expenditures for the diabetes cohort was higher for the entire 10 years prior to their index date, ranging between $1,043 in year −10 and $4,492 in year −1. Excess expenditure spiked in the index year, year 1 ($8,109), declined in year 2, and then increased steadily, ranging from $4,261 to $6,162 in years 2–10. The cumulative excess expenditure for the diabetes cohort during the entire 20 years of follow-up was $69,177 ($18,732 before and $50,445 after diagnosis). CONCLUSIONS People diagnosed with diabetes had higher medical expenditures compared with their counterparts, not only after diagnosis, but also up to 10 years prior to diagnosis. Managing risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease before diagnosis, and for diabetes-related complications after diagnosis, could alleviate medical expenditure in people with diabetes.
Are Small Donors Polarizing? A Longitudinal Study of the Senate

Abstract Current campaign finance law in the United States does little to redress biases in the donor population. One solution proposed by reformers is to expand the donor base to include a broader...
SAMHD1 regulates human papillomavirus 16 induced cell proliferation and viral replication during differentiation of oral keratinocytes.

Abstract Human papillomaviruses induce a host of anogenital cancers, and also oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+OPC); HPV16 is causative in around 90% of HPV+OPC. Using TERT immortalized “normal” oral keratinocytes (NOKs) we have identified significant host gene reprogramming by HPV16 (NOKs+HPV16), and demonstrated that NOKs+HPV16 support late stages of the viral life cycle. Expression of the cellular dNTPase and homologous recombination factor SAMHD1 is transcriptionally regulated by HPV16 in NOKs, and here we demonstrate that E6 and E7 regulate expression of SAMHD1 at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. CRISPR/Cas9 removal of SAMHD1 from NOKs and NOKs+HPV16 demonstrate that SAMHD1 controls cell proliferation of NOKs only in the presence of HPV16; deletion of SAMHD1 promotes hyper-proliferation of NOKs+HPV16 cells in organotypic raft cultures but has no effect on NOKs. Viral replication is also elevated in the absence of SAMHD1. This new system has allowed us to identify a specific interaction between SAMHD1 and HPV16 that regulates host cell proliferation and viral replication; such studies are problematic in non-immortalized primary oral keratinocytes due to their limited lifespan. To confirm the relevance of our results we repeated the analysis with human tonsil keratinocytes immortalized by HPV16 (HTK16) and observe the same hyper-proliferative phenotype following CRISPR/Cas9 editing of SAMHD1. Identical results were obtained with three independent CRISPR/Cas9 guide RNAs. The isogenic pairing of NOKs with NOKs+HPV16, combined with HTK16, presents a unique system to identify host genes whose products functionally interact with HPV16 to regulate host cellular growth in oral keratinocytes. Importance Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. The incidence of HPV+OPC has been rising steadily since the 1970s and has recently reached epidemic proportions, according to the WHO. Upwards of 70% of the 600,000 new OPC cases per year are HPV positive, with high-risk type 16 present in 90% of those incidences. A better understanding of the viral life cycle will facilitate the development of novel therapeutics to combat this ongoing epidemic, as well as other HPV positive cancers. Here we present a unique oral keratinocyte model to identify host proteins that specifically interact with HPV16. Using this system, we report that a cellular gene, SAMHD1, is regulated by HPV16 at the RNA and protein level in oral keratinocytes. Elimination of SAMHD1 from these cells using CRISPR/Cas9 editing promotes enhanced cellular proliferation by HPV16 in oral keratinocytes and elevated viral replication, but not in keratinocytes that do not have HPV16. Our study demonstrates a specific intricate interplay between HPV16 and SAMHD1 during the viral life cycle and establishes a unique model system to assist exploring host factors critical for HPV pathogenesis.
Liposuction fat emboli resulting in myocardial infarction: a case report and review of the literature

Liposuction is a well-tolerated and safe procedure performed by plastic surgeons. Rare, major complications include infection, perforation of abdominal wall/viscus, and fat emboli. Fat emboli, seen more often after long bone fractures, are rarely associated with liposuction. We report the only known case of myocardial infarction (MI) secondary to fat embolism in the setting of post-procedural liposuction. A review of the literature was undertaken to elucidate the pathophysiology of liposuction-associated fat embolism, identify patient and procedural risk factors, discuss diagnostic criterion, and identify management of this rare but potentially fatal complication. Level of Evidence: V Type of study: Risk study
Strangers in the Neighborhood: Violence and Neighborhood Boundaries:

New Orleans experienced elevated rates of violent crime throughout the thirty years between 1985 and 2015. Violence was disproportionately represented in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities...