cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro characterization of SynthoPlate™ (synthetic platelet) technology and its in vivo evaluation in severely thrombocytopenic mice

Essentials Platelet transfusion suffers from availability, portability, contamination, and short shelf-life. SynthoPlate™ (synthetic platelet technology) can resolve platelet transfusion limitations. SynthoPlate™ does not activate resting platelets or stimulate coagulation systemically. SynthoPlate™ significantly improves hemostasis in thrombocytopenic mice dose-dependently. Summary Background Platelet transfusion applications face severe challenges, owing to the limited availability and portability, high risk of contamination and short shelf-life of platelets. Therefore, there is significant interest in synthetic platelet substitutes that can provide hemostasis while avoiding these issues. Platelets promote hemostasis by injury site-selective adhesion and aggregation, and propagation of coagulation reactions on their membranes. On the basis of these mechanisms, we have developed a synthetic platelet technology (SynthoPlate™) that integrates platelet-mimetic site-selective 'adhesion' and 'aggregation' functionalities via heteromultivalent surface decoration of lipid vesicles with von Willebrand factor-binding, collagen-binding and active platelet integrin glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa-binding peptides. Objective To evaluate SynthoPlate for its effects on platelets and plasma in vitro, and for systemic safety and hemostatic efficacy in severely thrombocytopenic mice in vivo. Methods In vitro, SynthoPlate was evaluated with aggregometry, fluorescence microscopy, microfluidics, and thrombin and fibrin generation assays. In vivo, SynthoPlate was evaluated for systemic safety with prothrombin and fibrin assays on plasma, and for hemostatic effects on tail-transection bleeding time in severely thrombocytopenic (TCP) mice. Results SynthoPlate did not aggregate resting platelets or spontaneously promote coagulation in plasma, but could amplify the recruitment and aggregation of active platelets at the bleeding site, and thereby site-selectively enhance fibrin generation. SynthoPlate dose-dependently reduced bleeding time in TCP mice, to levels comparable to those in normal mice. SynthoPlate has a reasonable circulation residence time, and is cleared mostly by the liver and spleen. Conclusion The results demonstrate the promise of SynthoPlate as a synthetic platelet substitute in transfusion treatment of platelet-related bleeding complications.
Strange particle production at the intersection of soft and hard processes at RHIC

Nuclear suppression factor and u2 measurements as a function of transverse momentum for neutral strange particles are shown and compared to particle identified spectra from PHENIX and WA98 and to models that attempt to describe the suppression of particles at moderate pt in central RHIC Au−Au collisions. It is shown that identified spectra carry additional information to the published charged particle spectra. In particular, dependencies of the RAA and u2 values on the measured particle species will be discussed in the context of several models.
A Linear “Microscope” for Interventions and Counterfactuals

This note illustrates, using simple examples, how causal questions of non-trivial character can be represented, analyzed and solved using linear analysis and path diagrams. By producing closed form solutions, linear analysis allows for swift assessment of how various features of the model impact the questions under investigation. We discuss conditions for identifying total and direct effects, representation and identification of counterfactual expressions, robustness to model misspecification, and generalization across populations.
American Woman: Feminine Speech and the Reformation of National Identity Through Female Community in louisa May Alcott’s An Old-Fashioned Girl

The insecurity of American identity in the years immediately after the Civil War added to fears about the dissolution of a simple, “old-fashioned” American past. Louisa May Alcott in particular wor...
Fake news and alternative facts: five challenges for academic libraries

In light of recent worldwide political developments, it seems clear that libraries are needed more than ever to combat a rising tide of fake news and public lies, and to help their patrons discriminate between truth, error and propaganda. In order to do so, however, libraries will have to decide where they stand on crucial questions about the social construction of reality; the politics of selection; the privileging of interpretations; the academic necessity of research access to false claims; and the meaning of ‘alternative’. A library that fails to address these questions carefully, and in advance, is doomed to incoherence in its response to fake news and ‘alternative facts’.
School-Based Health Centers Successfully Engage Alternative Payment Models

This article is the second in a series of commentaries regarding “alternative payment models” and their relevance to school-based health centers. The first article is also co-authored by Ben L. Bynum, M.D., and Winston F. Wong, M.D., and was published in the Spring 2016 issue of the Journal of Health Care Finance . The article entitled “A Place for School-Based Health Centers in the New Era of Alternative Payment Models in Medicaid” argues that school-based health centers are uniquely positioned to serve at-risk youth living in underserved communities through a community-based delivery model that can offer integrated primary care, behavioral health and oral health services. The article concludes that school-based health centers should be strategically included in alternative payment model (APM) pilot programs – particularly those that aim to serve children enrolled in Medicaid, living in low income and rural areas – because school-based health centers are a high quality, low cost delivery model. This article deepens the analysis and highlights three organizations successfully implementing alternative payment models by leveraging the value-add of school-based health centers in underserved communities. Special Thanks: Both authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Jessica Dunbar, MSPH, Kelly Kelleher, M.D., Olga Price, Ph.D., John Schlitt, MSW, and James Schroeder, P.A. Without their input and guidance, this article would not have been possible. Disclosure: Dr. Bynum and Dr. Wong currently sit on the Board of Directors of the national School-Based Health Alliance (www.sbh4all.org). Dr. Bynum is the Chair of the Outreach and Engagement Committee, and Dr. Wong is the Board Chair.
Studies of reaction mechanisms during stabilization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile carbon nanofibers

Various reaction mechanisms such as cyclization, oxidation, dehydrogenation, and crosslinking are studied during stabilization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers using different in situ techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), shrinkage measurement, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). DSC results show that oxidation preferentially occurs in cyclized structure. It is also found that the cyclization reaction has the highest activation energy followed by oxidation/dehydrogenation and crosslinking reactions. In situ shrinkage measurement and DMA data are used to study the extent of cyclization and cross-linking reactions, respectively, in air. Comparing the in situ shrinkage measurement with DSC data, it is found that cyclization reaction in air progresses in two different mechanisms such as radical cyclization, which depends only on the temperature and ionic cyclization, which is limited by the rate of oxygen diffusion. It is found that complete cyclization time occurs at about 189 min for isothermal heat treatment at 260°C with 5°C/min ramp, while cross-linking reaction becomes dominant at 132 min. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers
Bioinformatics of Obesity

Abstract Beginning with the description of the term “obesity” and its history, this chapter first reviews the different measures of obesity for epidemiological as well as clinical studies. All practically used measures of obesity are argued to be proxy measures of body fatness, and the excess fatness is the consequence of energy imbalance or disregulation of energy homeostasis. Health consequences and disease association of obesity is reviewed suggesting that central body fatness is the major obesity-related risk factor for untoward health outcome. Causes of obesity is the next subject reviewed, indicating that obesity is truly an “unhappy” multifactorial phenotype, having influences of inherent individual genetic make-up as well as those of environmental and lifestyle insults. The nature of these multifactorial etiological factors is the thrust of this reviewed topic. Current activities toward combating the worldwide obesity epidemic are mentioned, with examples of multifaceted strategies and plans involving individual as well as societal involvement in such efforts. The chapter ends with some suggestions for further research on bioinformatics of obesity that may have translational value in enhancing the efficacies of modalities of prevention and control of obesity.
Successful Minimally Invasive Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: A Call to Do Better.

See Article by Ad et al In this issue, Ad et al1 report their results with a stand-alone minimally invasive Cox maze procedure. Their sizeable cohort consists of patients with largely long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).1 Ad et al1 should be congratulated on achieving such excellent surgical results over a long duration with an open-heart surgical procedure. In this group of difficult-to-treat patients, they achieved 78% freedom from atrial arrhythmias off antiarrhythmic drugs after 5 years, using Heart Rhythm Society follow-up guidelines. The patients also had improved quality of life and a remarkably low stroke rate despite the fact that 81% of the patients were eventually taken off anticoagulation. If all patients could be offered a single procedure to achieve 78% success at 5 years with no risk of mortality, the clinics of cardiac surgeons would be filled beyond capacity. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and we should be doing better. The current report adds to the numerous studies in the literature demonstrating that surgical ablation reduces AF burden, is associated with a low postoperative stroke risk, and improves …
Novel non-histocompatibility antigen mismatched variants improve the ability to predict antibody-mediated rejection risk in kidney transplant

Transplant rejection is the critical clinical end-point limiting indefinite survival after histocompatibility antigen (HLA) mismatched organ transplantation. The predominant cause of late graft loss is antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), a process whereby injury to the organ is caused by donor-specific antibodies, which bind to HLA and non-HLA (nHLA) antigens. AMR is incompletely diagnosed as donor/recipient (D/R) matching is only limited to the HLA locus and critical nHLA immunogenic antigens remain to be identified. We have developed an integrative computational approach leveraging D/R exome sequencing and gene expression to predict clinical post-transplant outcome. We performed a rigorous statistical analysis of 28 highly annotated D/R kidney transplant pairs with biopsy-confirmed clinical outcomes of rejection [either AMR or T-cell-mediated rejection (CMR)] and no-rejection (NoRej), identifying a significantly higher number of mismatched nHLA variants in AMR (ANOVA-p-value = 0.02). Using Fisher's exact test, we identified 123 variants associated mainly with risk of AMR (p-value < 0.001). In addition, we applied a machine-learning technique to circumvent the issue of statistical power and we found a subset of 65 variants using random forest, that are predictive of post-tx AMR showing a very low error rate. These variants are functionally relevant to the rejection process in the kidney and AMR as they relate to genes and/or expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) that are enriched in genes expressed in kidney and vascular endothelium and underlie the immunobiology of graft rejection. In addition to current D/R HLA mismatch evaluation, additional mismatch nHLA D/R variants will enhance the stratification of post-tx AMR risk even before engraftment of the organ. This innovative study design is applicable in all solid organ transplants, where the impact of mitigating AMR on graft survival may be greater, with considerable benefits on improving human morbidity and mortality and opens the door to precision immunosuppression and extended tx survival.
Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of Cowper’s Gland

Abstract We report an additional case of primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of Cowper’s gland in an otherwise healthy asymptomatic 66-year-old man. Based on a review of similar lesions presenting in the head and neck, our treatment plan entailed pelvic exenteration followed by radiation therapy. Whether adenoid cystic carcinoma of Cowper’s gland behaves as aggressively as it does in the head and neck remains unclear. However, in view of the extensive local invasion in our patient and a previously successful outcome, a combined surgical and radiation approach appears to be the most appropriate therapy.
Lifestyle Features and Heart Disease

Abstract Cardiovascular disease is one of the most underlying health problems throughout the United States. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease may include age, poor diet, the lack of exercise, and smoking. Although there are a variety of risk factors that can influence patient progression of cardiovascular disease, there are many lifestyle changes that can be done in order to alleviate the prognosis. By ensuring proper lifestyle changes such as healthier diet, daily exercise, smoking cessation, and regular physician checkups, patients are able to better alleviate the symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease.
The association of gout with incident giant cell arteritis in older adults.

Abstract Objectives To assess whether gout is associated with a higher or lower risk of a new diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in older adults, adjusting for known risk factors of GCA. Methods We used the 5% Medicare claims to conduct a multivariable Cox regression analyses to assess the association of gout with incident GCA in adults 65 years or older adjusting for age, gender, race (known risk factors for GCA) and Charlson–Romano comorbidity score, the use of medications for cardiovascular diseases (statins, beta-blockers, diuretics, ACE-inhibitors) and gout (allopurinol, febuxostat). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results There were 3004 incident cases (new diagnosis) of GCA with crude incidence rates of GCA of 28.0/100,000 person-years in patients without gout and 63.8/100,000 person-years in patients with gout. Multivariable-adjusted analyses showed that preexisting gout was associated with a higher risk of incident/new GCA diagnosis with a hazard ratio of 2.05 (95% CI: 1.76, 2.40), confirmed in sensitivity analyses that substituted continuous Charlson–Romano comorbidity score with categorized score or individual comorbidities (plus hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease). Older age, female gender, white race and higher comorbidity index, were also associated with a higher hazard of GCA. Subgroup analyses did not show any significant variation of the association of preexisting gout with incident GCA by age, race or sex. Conclusions Gout was associated with more than 2-fold higher risk of incident GCA in older adults, independent of known risk factors of GCA. Future studies should explore the underlying mechanisms for this association.
Electromagnetic environment threat level requirement for military aircraft susceptibility testing in support of high intensity radiated field qualification

The UK have a requirement to establish Electromagnetic Environment (EME) threat levels, covering the frequency range 790 MHz to 50 GHz, on which to base investment in a radiated susceptibility Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) High Intensity Radiated Field (HIRF) test system for military aircraft. Numerous international standards specifying EMEs were initially reviewed but were found to differ significantly in terms of stated EME magnitudes. In addition, they did not address the parameters of Pulse Width (PW), Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) and Duty Cycle (DC), which are considered important for avionic system testing, because such data is often classified. The resulting assessment presented in this paper combines both a review of the EMEs, based on established UK and international standards, with a detailed assessment of world-wide threat transmission parameters in order to address the PW, PRF and DC parameters. Assessing the threat parameters includes addressing near and far-field electromagnetic propagation from microwave transmission antennas. Finally, the required parameters for the HIRF EME are declared.
CORRELATIONS OF TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY IN MAN AND MONKEY, A FIRST APPROXIMATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses correlations that appear reasonable between human thermal sensations and neural activity in the thermal primary afferents of rhesus monkeys. Thermal sensations, measured in humans, and the responses of primary warm and cold fibers, measured in monkeys, are compared to identify possible neural codes. The low levels of neural activity in warm and cold fibers at the static temperatures in the zone of physiological zero, identified in humans, need not necessarily lead to thermal sensations. An increase in the frequency of this activity in warm fibers may account for the persisting warm sensations at higher adapting temperatures. A combination of a temporal code (bursting) and the frequency code in cold fibers can account for the persisting cold sensation and thermoregulatory responses observed at low skin temperatures. A complete adaptation of sensation to a temperature change within the zone of physiological zero requires much more time than the establishment of a new steady-state response in primate warm and cold fibers following a similar change.
Fine Structure of a Diffuse Undifferentiated Small-cell Carcinoma of the Thyroid

Differentiating diffuse undifferentiated small-cell carcinoma of the thyroid from malignant lymphoma is difficult. A case of small-cell carcinoma was studied by electron microscopy and is reported here to illustrate the value of electron microscopy in separating epithelial thyroid tumor from lymphoma. Ultrastructurally, the tumor was composed of cells possessing occasional intercellularjunctional complexes and spaces with microvilli. There were abundant free ribosomes and well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm. Golgi apparatus, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, membrane-bound cytosomes, and centrioles were also evident. Numerous swollen mitochondria were seen in some tumor cells. A few large tumor cells characterized by abundant cytoplasm containing few mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and numerous microfibrils were also observed. A few collagen fibers, lymphocytes and plasma cells were present among tumor cells. No basement membranes nor virus-like particles were seen.
Schopenhauer on the ethics of suicide

The concept of death is of special importance in Schopenhauer's metaphysics of appearance and Will. Death for Schopenhauer is the aim and purpose of life, that toward which life is directed, and the denial of the individual will to life. Despite his profound pessimism, Schopenhauer vehemently rejects suicide as an unworthy affirmation of the will to life by those who seek to escape rather than seek nondiscursive knowledge of Will in suffering. The only manner of self-destruction Schopenhauer finds philosophically acceptable is the ascetic saint's death by starvation. Here the individual will to life is so completely mastered as to refuse even the most basic desire for nourishment, and thereby passes into nonexistence in complete renunciation of the individual will. Schopenhauer's attitude toward suicide nevertheless embodies an inconsistency. If, as Schopenhauer believes, the aim of life is death, and death is an unreal aspect of the world as appearance, then there appears to be no justification why the philosopher should not rush headlong into it - not to affirm the will to life in an abject effort to avoid suffering, but in order to fulfill life's purpose by ending it for distinctly philosophical reasons immediately upon arriving at an understanding of the appearance-reality distinction.
A genome-wide association study of energy intake and expenditure

Excessive energy intake or insufficient energy expenditure, which result in energy imbalance, contribute to the development of obesity. Obesity-related genes, such as FTO, are associated with energy traits. No genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been conducted to detect the genetic associations with energy-related traits, including energy intake and energy expenditure, among European-ancestry populations. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide study using pooled GWAS including 12,030 European-ancestry women and 6,743 European-ancestry men to identify genetic variants associated with these two energy traits. We observed a statistically significant genome-wide SNP heritability for energy intake of 6.05% (95%CI = (1.76, 10.34), P = 0.006); the SNP heritability for expenditure was not statistically significantly greater than zero. We discovered three SNPs on chromosome 12q13 near gene ANKRD33 that were genome-wide significantly associated with increased total energy intake among all men. We also identified signals on region 2q22 that were associated with energy expenditure among lean people. Body mass index related SNPs were found to be significantly associated with energy intake and expenditure through SNP set analyses. Larger GWAS studies of total energy traits are warranted to explore the genetic basis of energy intake, including possible differences between men and women, and the association between total energy intake and other downstream phenotypes, such as diabetes and chronic diseases.
End of Cretaceous extinction: The end of the dinosaurs

The age of dinosaurs saw great proliferation of these reptiles, as well as a general increase in maximum size through much of the Mesozoic. It also saw the emergence of flying reptiles and birds, and the return of some land reptiles to an aquatic existence. These were generally gradual changes leading to a progressively more complex global ecosystem. This was suddenly ended at the end of the Cretaceous Period about 65 million years ago in yet another major extinction event, the so-called K-T extinction. It appears likely that this was, indeed, a very sudden event: the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth. The dinosaurs were wiped out (except to the extent that one wishes to consider birds a form of dinosaur!), and the age on mammals began.
Discourse Coherence as a Cue to Reference in Word Learning: Evidence for Discourse Bootstrapping.

Word learning depends critically on the use of linguistic context to constrain the likely meanings of words. However, the mechanisms by which children infer word meaning from linguistic context are still poorly understood. In this study, we asked whether adults (n = 58) and 2- to 6-year-old children (n = 180) use discourse coherence relations (i.e., the meaningful relationships between elements within a discourse) to constrain their interpretation of novel words. Specifically, we showed participants videos of novel animals exchanging objects. These videos were accompanied by a linguistic description of the events in which we manipulated a single word within a sentence (and vs. because) in order to alter the causal and temporal relations between the events in the discourse (e.g., "One animal handed the baby to the other animal [and/because] the baby started crying in the talfa's arms"). We then asked participants which animal (the giver or the receiver) was the referent of the novel word. Across two experiments, we found evidence that young children used the causal and temporal relations in each discourse to constrain their interpretations of novel words.
Conclusion and Recommendations

In this conclusion I bring together the various threads of my argument. First, I summarise each chapter in relation to the themes identified and the analytical frame employed in this study. Second, I present my three key arguments. Third, I contextualise my study in terms of where we are today with AIDS at the global level and within Malawi. Fourth, I demonstrate how this study contributes to academic debates. Finally, I present recommendations to improve policies and programmes on HIV and AIDS at the international and national level.
Reactivity of [TismPriBenz]MgMe towards secondary amines and terminal alkynes: Catalytic dehydrocoupling with hydrosilanes to afford Si–N and Si–C bonds

Abstract The magnesium hydride and methyl compounds, [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgX (X = H, Me), react with diphenylamine (Ph2NH) and pyrrolidine (C4H8NH) to afford the amide derivatives, [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgNPh2 and [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgNC4H8, while reactions with the terminal alkynes, PhC CH and BunC CH, afford the corresponding acetylide derivatives, [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgC CPh and [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgC CBun. The Mg N bond of [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgNR2 may be cleaved by hydrosilanes, such that [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgMe is an effective precatalyst for the dehydrocoupling of hydrosilanes and amines. For example, [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgMe enables the conversion of a 1:1 mixture of Ph2SiH2 and C4H8NH at room temperature to the silazane, Ph2SiH(NC4H8). [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgH and [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgMe are also capable of dehydrocoupling PhC CH and PhSiH3 to form PhSiH2C CPh. In addition to dehydrocoupling of terminal alkynes, [ Tism Pr i Benz ] MgMe is also capable of achieving the isomerization 3-phenyl-1-propyne to phenylallene.
Contextual Aware Joint Probability Model Towards Question Answering System.

In this paper, we address the question answering challenge with the SQuAD 2.0 dataset. We design a model architecture which leverages BERT's capability of context-aware word embeddings and BiDAF's context interactive exploration mechanism. By integrating these two state-of-the-art architectures, our system tries to extract the contextual word representation at word and character levels, for better comprehension of both question and context and their correlations. We also propose our original joint posterior probability predictor module and its associated loss functions. Our best model so far obtains F1 score of 75.842% and EM score of 72.24% on the test PCE leaderboad.
Meta-Analysis of Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Among Patients With Low Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an effective therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). However, data on TAVI outcomes in patients with low gradient (LG) AS are limited. We performed a meta-analysis of studies comparing TAVI outcomes between patients with classic high gradient (HG) and LG AS through November 2018. The 30-day mortality, mid-term all-cause, and cardiovascular mortality at maximum follow-up were compared between patients with HG and LG AS (Pairwise meta-analysis), and between the three distinct groups of AS including HG, paradoxical low-flow low-gradient and low gradient with reduced ejection fraction (rEF-LG) (Network meta-analysis). Nineteen studies (n = 27,204 patients) met the inclusion criteria. The HG group had less 30-day, mid-term all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared with the low-gradient AS group overall, (6% vs 7.5%, OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.87, I2 = 18%), (21% vs 29%, OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.67, I2 = 62%), and (12.6% vs 18.7%, OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.49 to 0.76, I2 = 62%), respectively, p
Kinematics of Norma, a Spherical Robot, Rolling Over 3D Terrains

Kinematics and dynamics of spherical robots (SRs) on horizontal and inclined flat surfaces are well-investigated, while their behavior on generic 3D terrains has remained unexplored. This paper studies the kinematics of a class of SRs rolling over 3D terrains. First, a brief description of the selected configuration for the SR is presented along with the characterization of the modeling method. Next, the kinematics equations of the SR are derived based on the mathematical description of the terrain and the mechanical constraints of the robot. Then, a path tracking method is utilized for tracking a 3D desired trajectory. Finally, simulations are carried out to validate the developed model and the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
How successful African-American male leaders in predominately White Organizations integrate spirituality with leadership practice

Using Critical Race Theory, this article presents findings from a hermeneutic phenomenological study to explore the leadership experiences of five African-American men in senior-level positions in ...
Laughing to the Grave and Back Again: The Humor of Acts 20.7-12:

The humorous story of Eutychus’ death and subsequent revival in Acts 20.7-12 is the source of several disagreements among recent interpreters. While some reject the humorous element and read this p...
Monopoly versus Individual Welfare When a Local Public Good Is Used to Attract the Creative Class

We study the decision problems faced by a city authority (CA) who focuses on two different objectives in her attempt to attract members of the creative class to her city by providing a local public...
A Novel Data Mining Approach for Detection of Polio Disease Using Spatio-Temporal Analysis

Polio is an epidemic disease, which may lead to paralysis and may be fatal enough to cause even death of the infected person. In most of the cases, polio virus has mild symptoms, so, there is a high probability that it can remain unnoticed. This paper aims to understand the eruption, severity and spread of polio virus from a spatio-temporal point of view. This research proposed a novel machine learning model to predict the chances of polio. Particularly, data sets are developed by getting data from several sources such as NIH (National Institute of Health), databases of medical stores and transport logs. Subsequently, K-mean algorithm is applied on the given data to predict the chances of polio's breakout. The preliminary study proved that the proposed model is significant step towards mitigating the challenges of this fatal disease. Furthermore, it also provides a platform/ framework, which can be extended in the development of an automated tool for polio virus detection.
Driver Hazard Response When Processing On-road and In-vehicle Messaging of Non-Safety-Related Information

With advances in vehicle technologies, more information can be communicated in real-time to drivers via in-vehicle interfaces. In-vehicle messaging can be used for safety related information, such as warnings, as well as non-safety related information, such as upcoming gas stations. While much research has focused on the design of messaging safety-related information, little is known about the best practice for in-vehicle messaging non-safety-related information. The current study aimed to examine how drivers process service logos – as an example of non-safety-related information – and respond to road hazards when logos are presented on: (1) an on-road sign panel, (2) an in-vehicle display, or (3) a combination of both. It was found that drivers generally identified logos with high accuracy and low workload across the presentation conditions. Driver reactions to road hazards were slower when logos were present for processing, although the number of collisions did not increase. Although the majority of drivers self-reported a preference for the on-road presentation, the simultaneous presentation of logos on-road and in-vehicle showed a benefit on driver hazard negotiation (fewer collisions). Older drivers were less accurate in identifying logos but also had fewer collisions, likely due to them being more cautious and allocating more attention to the driving task. Findings of this study provide support for use of in-vehicle presentation of non-safety-related information in addition to existing on-road signage.
Chandra Observations of “The Antennae” Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039). II. Detection and Analysis of Galaxian X-Ray Sources

We report the detailed analysis of the X-ray properties of the discrete sources detected in a long (72 ks) Chandra ACIS-S observation of the Antennae galaxies. We detect 49 sources, down to a detection limit of ~1038 ergs s-1; 18 sources have LX > 1039 ergs s-1 (ultraluminous X-ray sources; ULXs). Six of the 49 sources have an extended component. Two sources show evidence for variability during this observation, and three sources exhibit long-term variability in timescales of a few years. The spectra of the discrete sources are diverse, suggesting different emission mechanisms, broadly correlated with the source luminosity: the most luminous sources exhibit harder emission, while the spectra of fainter sources appear softer. Spectra and variability suggest that the ULXs may be binary accretion sources; Supernova remnants or hot interstellar medium in the Chandra beam may be responsible for some of the softer sources.
Predicting Recovery in Individuals With Serious Mental Illness: Expanding the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Framework:

People with psychiatric disabilities experience significant impairment in fulfilling major life roles due to the severity of their mental illness. Recovery for people with serious mental illness (S...
Adolescents, COVID19, and Black Lives Matter

Substance use and adolescence is a long-standing concern with alcohol being the most widely abused substance by American adolescents (NIAAA, 2020). Adolescent psychological and emotional developmen...
Racial disparities in immune-related adverse events of immune checkpoint inhibitors and association with survival based on clinical and biochemical responses

BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi) cause various immune-related adverse events (irAE) with thyroid dysfunction as a commonly reported abnormality. There is increasing evidence showing positive association with development of irAE and survival. However, prior trials with ICPi had underrepresentation of minorities with < 5% African Americans. AIM To evaluate the association between development of irAE and survival outcomes among a racially diverse patient population. METHODS Data on patients with stage IV solid malignancies treated with programmed cell death-protein 1/programmed death ligand 1 blockers between January 2013 and December 2018 across MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute facilities were retrospectively reviewed. Patients treated with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitors were excluded. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were primary endpoints and were calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods and Wilcoxon rank sum test for comparison. RESULTS Out of 293 patients who met eligibility criteria, 91 pts (31%) had any grade irAE; most common AE were endocrine (40.7%) specifically TSH elevation, dermatological (23.1%) and rheumatologic (18.7%). Proportion of irAE was significantly higher in Caucasians vs African Americans (60.4% vs 30.8%), in patients with low programmed death ligand 1, lower LDH, older age, and those who had more treatment cycles with ICPi. Rate of progression was lower in patients with irAE (30.8% vs 46.0%, P = 0.0140). Median PFS (5.8 vs 3.0 mo, P = 0.0204) and OS (17.1 vs 7.2 mo, P < 0.0001) were higher with irAE. Statistically significant difference in OS (17.1 vs 8.6 mo, P = 0.0002) but not in PFS (5.8 vs 3.3 mo, P = 0.0545) was noted with endocrine irAE. No differences in survival were observed among other commonly reported irAE. Differences in survival among subgroups of patients with irAE are described. CONCLUSION Development of irAE positively correlated with improved PFS and OS as reported in previous studies. To our knowledge, this is the first study observing differences in OS favoring endocrine AE and Caucasian race. These factors may be potential surrogate markers of prognosis pending replication of these results in large-scale studies.
The Real Problem with Katz Circularity

The Fourth Amendment protects people against "unreasonable searches" by police. To operationalize this protection, courts must have a workable definition of a search. Since 1967, the Supreme Court has used the two-step Katz test as a primary measure of when a search has occurred. Under Katz, a court will find that something has been subject to search when (1) the individual in question has a subjective expectation of privacy in that thing and (2) such an expectation of privacy would be reasonable. From early on, commentators have decried the Katz test as circular and have urged courts to adopt something else. This Essay explains what the circularity worry really amounts to: the worry is about courts using improperly reduced expectations of privacy as a reason to withhold Fourth Amendment protection. This worry is much broader than most commentators have seen, and this broader framing allows one to deflect recent concerns that Katz circularity (more narrowly construed) is a myth. With the ‘circularity’ worry properly understood, the Essay offers a way to deal with it: courts could simply drop Step One of Katz.
Uterosacral Ligament Hysteropexy for Uterine Didelphys: A Case Report.

Abstract Surgical approach to pelvic organ prolapse has traditionally included hysterectomy; however, in the past decade, uterine sparing prolapse surgery (hysteropexy) has become increasingly popular within female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. The current literature demonstrates comparable outcomes for hysteropexy and traditional approach. As these procedures become more common, it is important to consider how to approach patients with unique anatomy such as uterine anomalies who desire uterine sparing surgery. In our case, we describe a woman aged 77 years with uterine didelphys who underwent a successful vaginal uterosacral ligament hysteropexy for stage 2 pelvic organ prolapse and was followed for 12 months postoperatively. Our case demonstrates that vaginal uterosacral ligament hysteropexy is feasible in a patient with uterine didelphys.
Modeling, Design, and Testing of a Linear Electric-Hydraulic Conversion Machine for Electrification of Off-Highway Vehicles

Electrification and hybridization of off-highway vehicles have the potential to yield significant fuel savings and air emissions improvements. However, developing the required components to electrify these systems is an extremely challenging task due to high force and power density requirements and highly variable drive cycles. This article investigates a new approach to off-highway vehicle electrification based around a linear piston pump integrated into a linear actuator. The article first reviews linear actuator machine topologies within the context of the charge pump application requirements. A tubular machine topology is optimized for integration with a hydraulic pump and experimentally validated using a prototype machine. A multiphysics simulation framework is developed to simulate the entire charge pump design with a position regulator. An optimized design is proposed with an oscillation frequency of 132 Hz and a total system efficiency (pump and motor) calculated to be 81.3% at full load.
A Hilbert-wavelet-based nonstationarity index for multi-level quantification of extreme winds

Abstract Extreme wind events (e.g., thunderstorm downbursts) often present strong nonstationarities in terms of time-varying mean, amplitude modulation and frequency modulation. The stationary-wind assumption adopted in the traditional analysis framework for wind-induced structural responses may lead to severely biased estimates in nonstationary scenarios. Accordingly, advanced methodologies have recently emerged to investigate nonstationary wind effects on structures. Since the consideration of nonstationary winds and associated structural aerodynamics and dynamics usually involves more time and effort in comparison of stationary case, it is important to first measure the degree of nonstationarity of wind signals for selecting an appropriate analysis framework (stationary or nonstationary). In this study, a Hilbert-wavelet-based nonstationarity index is developed to quantify the nonstationarity of extreme winds. The joint utilization of Hilbert transform and wavelet packet decomposition provides a sharp time-frequency representation of the analyzed signal, and hence lays a solid foundation for the nonstationarity quantification. To highlight that the same wind nonstationarity may present different contributions to dynamic responses of various structures, the structural aerodynamics and dynamics are integrated into the proposed nonstationarity index to form a multi-level quantification framework. Furthermore, the obtained Hilbert-wavelet-based multi-level nonstationarity index of a nonstationary wind signal is first summarized over the time and frequency domains and then normalized by the corresponding nonstationarity index of an impulse signal (treated as the most nonstationary signal) for convenient application and easy interpretation of the quantification results. The effectiveness of the proposed index for multi-level quantification of nonstationarity is well demonstrated with its applications to synthesized signals as well as field-measured downburst winds.
Reflections on Race and Ethnicity in North Africa Towards a Conceptual Critique of the Arab–Berber Divide

This essay argues that the usages of the divide between Berbers and Arabs by the Algerian government and Berber activists alike should be analyzed in light of the transformation of the Imazighen into a cultural minority by the nation-state. The nation-state's definition of the majority as Arab, as well as the very concept of a minority, has shaped both the status and the grammar of the Arab-Berber divide in ways that are irreducible to how this binary functioned under French colonialism. In order to understand the distinct modes by which these categories function in Algeria today, one needs to analyze how the language of the nation-state determines their grammar, namely how they are deployed within this political context. Hence, by focusing primarily on French colonial representations of race such as the Kabyle Myth and by asserting simplified colonial continuities, the literature fails to make sense of the political centrality of the nation-state in the construction of the Amazigh question.
Changes in Permittivity of the Piezoelectric Material PVDF as Functions of the Electrical Field and Temperature.

Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) is becoming a widely used piezoelectric material because of its flexibility, low cost, light weight, and biocompatibility. Its electronic properties, such as its permittivity, can be affected by material crystal structure variations, which also greatly impact the material’s application. It is known that external stress and electrical fields can alter the crystal structure of piezoelectric material. In this research, we aim to investigate the relationship between the external electrical field and the permittivity property of PVDF material. The basic standard equations, finite element analysis, and experimental measurement are included in this paper. By using sweeping voltages from −25 V to +25 V using an Agilent Technologies B1500A Semiconductor Device Analyzer, an increase in the permittivity of the PVDF material is observed. In this work, the study of the permittivity change under the application of different electrical fields at room temperature is presented, and the application of the electrical field under different temperatures is also studied and presented.
When Electronic Devices Outnumber Flower Bouquets in the Hospital Room

Today's hospital room is dominated by electronic devices that monitor, control, and document a patient's condition. The devices do what machines do best: tedious, repetitive tasks such as cardiac a...
Chapter 3 Gramicidin, a “Simple” Ion Channel

Publisher Summary Just as the studies of soluble protein structures have provided insight into their modes of action and motifs for folding, high-resolution information concerning the structure of proteins that are embedded in lipid bilayers may describe their functioning as channels. Gramicidin represents an excellent system for studying the structural, functional, and folding properties of a transmembrane channel. The vast amount of information on the chemistry and physiology of this molecule, along with the recently available detailed three-dimensional information, means that the structure may be interpreted in terms of functional properties on a molecular level and may form a basis for modeling and design of other ion channels. While gramicidin was initially chosen to be a “simple” model (relative to “more complex” higher-molecular-weight channels), that has not turned out to be the case. Perhaps that is because the very nature of a small molecule is that it is flexible and polymorphic.
Pelvic Form and Locomotor Adaptation in Strepsirrhine Primates

The pelvic girdle is a complex structure with a critical role in locomotion, but efforts to model the mechanical effects of locomotion on its shape remain difficult. Traditional approaches to understanding form and function include univariate adaptive hypothesis-testing derived from mechanical models. Geometric morphometric (GM) methods can yield novel insight into overall three-dimensional shape similarities and differences across groups, although the utility of GM in assessing functional differences has been questioned. This study evaluates the contributions of both univariate and GM approaches to unraveling the trait-function associations between pelvic form and locomotion. Three-dimensional landmarks were collected on a phylogenetically-broad sample of 180 pelves from nine primate taxa. Euclidean interlandmark distances were calculated to facilitate testing of biomechanical hypotheses, and a principal components (PC) analysis was performed on Procrustes coordinates to examine overall shape differences. Both linear dimensions and PC scores were subjected to phylogenetic ANOVA. Many of the null hypotheses relating linear dimensions to locomotor loading were not rejected. Although both analytical approaches suggest that ilium width and robusticity differ among locomotor groups, the GM analysis also suggests that ischiopubic shape differentiates groups. Although GM provides additional quantitative results beyond the univariate analyses, this study highlights the need for new GM methods to more specifically address functional shape differences among species. Until these methods are developed, it would be prudent to accompany tests of directional biomechanical hypotheses with current GM methods for a more nuanced understanding of shape and function.