cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semi-empirical relationships for the energy loss and straggling of 1–50 keV hydrogen ions passing through thin carbon foils

Abstract Thin carbon foils are used in many fields of physics, including for the detection of keV particles in space plasma instrumentation. The interaction of ions or neutral atoms with these foils results in different effects: electron emission, charge exchange, angular scattering, and energy loss and straggling. We report measurements of the energy loss and straggling and angular scattering of 1–50 keV protons for different foil thicknesses (nominal 0.5–2.0 μg/cm2). We derive simple semi-empirical relationships for the energy loss and straggling as a function of incident energy and foil thickness. We also derive a semi-empirical relationship between the derived thickness and the scattering constant. This provides a simple and straightforward tool to estimate the energy loss by measuring the angular scattering of protons for a particular foil.
Reducing the false positive rate of computer aided detection for CT colonography using Content Based Image Retrieval

We present a method to reduce the false positive rate of our computed tomographic colonography computer aided detection (CTC-CAD) system based on the paradigm of Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR). Using the feature vectors generated from our CTC-CAD system in conjunction with the distance metric of our CBIR system we rank detections based on their likelihood of being true positive. By eliminating detections with low rank, we prune approximately half of the false-positive detections from our CAD system.
Ankle-Brachial Index and Subclinical Cardiac and Carotid Disease The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

The authors studied associations between ankle-brachial index (ABI) and subclinical atherosclerosis in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Participants included 3,458 women (average age = 62.6 years) and 3,112 men (average age = 62.8 years) who were free of clinically evident cardiovascular disease. Measurements included ABI, carotid artery intima-media thickness, and coronary artery calcium assessed with computed tomography. Five ABI categories were defined: or =1.30 (high ABI). Compared with that in men with normal ABI, significantly higher internal carotid artery intima-media thickness was observed in men with definite PAD (1.58 vs. 1.09; p < 0.001), borderline ABI (1.33 vs. 1.09; p < 0.001), and low-normal ABI (1.18 vs. 1.09; p < 0.001) after adjustment for confounders. Fully adjusted odds ratios for a coronary artery calcium score greater than 20 decreased across progressively higher ABI categories in both women (2.85 (definite PAD), 1.27 (borderline ABI), 1.11 (low-normal ABI), 1.00 (normal ABI; referent), and 0.78 (high ABI); p for trend = 0.0002) and men (3.26 (definite PAD), 1.72 (borderline ABI), 1.14 (low-normal ABI), 1.00 (normal ABI; referent), and 1.43 (high ABI); p for trend = 0.0002). These findings indicate excess coronary and carotid atherosclerosis at ABI values below 1.10 (men) and 1.00 (women) and may imply increased risk of cardiovascular events in persons with borderline and low-normal ABI.
Comprehensive inventory of protein complexes in the Protein Data Bank from consistent classification of interfaces

Background: Protein-protein interactions are ubiquitous and essential for all cellular processes. High-resolution X-ray crystallographic structures of protein complexes can reveal the details of their function and provide a basis for many computational and experimental approaches. Differentiation between biological and non-biological contacts and reconstruction of the intact complex is a challenging computational problem. A successful solution can provide additional insights into the fundamental principles of biological recognition and reduce errors in many algorithms and databases utilizing interaction information extracted from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Results: We have developed a method for identifying protein complexes in the PDB X-ray structures by a four step procedure: (1) comprehensively collecting all protein-protein interfaces; (2) clustering similar protein-protein interfaces together; (3) estimating the probability that each cluster is relevant based on a diverse set of properties; and (4) combining these scores for each PDB entry in order to predict the complex structure. The resulting clusters of biologically relevant interfaces provide a reliable catalog of evolutionary conserved protein-protein interactions. These interfaces, as well as the predicted protein complexes, are available from the Protein Interface Server (PInS) website (see Availability and requirements section). Conclusion: Our method demonstrates an almost two-fold reduction of the annotation error rate as evaluated on a large benchmark set of complexes validated from the literature. We also estimate relative contributions of each interface property to the accurate discrimination of biologically relevant interfaces and discuss possible directions for further improving the prediction method.
Upper Airway Lymphoid Tissue Size in Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Background The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is higher in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) as compared with the general pediatric population. It has been speculated that overgrowth of the adenoid and tonsils is an important contributor. Methods The current study used MRI to evaluate such an association. We studied 36 subjects with SCD (aged 6.9 ± 4.3 years) and 36 control subjects (aged 6.6 ± 3.4 years). Results Compared with control subjects, children with SCD had a significantly smaller upper airway (2.8 ± 1.2 cm 3 vs 3.7 ± 1.6 cm 3 , P 3 vs 6.0 ± 2.2 cm 3 , P 3 vs 5.1 ± 1.9 cm 3 , P 3 vs 2.2 ± 0.9 cm 3 , P 3 vs 12.7 ± 4.0 cm 3 , P P r = 0.57, P P 2 (53.4 ± 8.5 mm Hg vs 42.3 ± 5.3 mm Hg, P P Conclusions Children with SCD have reduced upper airway size due to overgrowth of the surrounding lymphoid tissues, which may explain their predisposition to OSAS.
Chronic hepatic artery ligation does not prevent liver from differentiating portal vs. peripheral glucose delivery.

Infusion of glucose into the hepatic artery blocks the stimulatory effect of the “portal signal” on net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) during portal glucose delivery. We hypothesized that hepatic ar...
Determination of cotton nitrogen status with a handheld chlorophyll meter

Abstract The ability of a hand‐held chlorophyll meter (SPAD‐502 Chlorophyll Meter3, Minolta Camera Co., Ltd., Japan) to determine the N status of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) was studied at field sites in Alabama and Missouri. Meter readings on the uppermost fully‐expanded leaf were compared to leaf‐blade N and petiole NO3‐N at first square, first bloom and midbloom as to their seed cotton yield predictive capability. Nitrogen was applied at rates of 0, 45, 90, 135, 180 and 225 kg ha‐1 to establish a range of cotton chlorophyll levels, tissue N concentrations, and seed cotton yields. A typical curvilinear cotton yield response to N fertilizer was observed in Alabama experiments. Because of adverse weather conditions, cotton yield in Missouri experiments did not respond to N. Chlorophyll meter readings were significantly correlated to leaf‐blade N concentration at all three stages of growth for all experiments. In Alabama, chlorophyll meter readings compared favorably to leaf‐blade N and petiole NO3‐N wi...
Variations on optimal and suboptimal handoff control for wireless communication systems

The design of handoff algorithms for cellular communication systems based on signal-strength measurements is addressed. The system is modeled using a hybrid framework: a mixture of continuous state and discrete event systems. The handoff problem is formulated as an optimization problem to control the switchings within the discrete event system. Performance is evaluated as a function of the expected number of handoffs, the expected handoff delay, and the expected number of signal degradations. A signal degradation occurs when the signal level falls below a threshold. The cost of handoff delay is explicitly specified, in contrast to prior work. Various optimization problems are posed to trade off between these quantities. Based on the optimal solutions which are obtained through dynamic programming, suboptimal versions are proposed for ease of implementation. The performance of the suboptimal algorithm which trades off between the expected number of handoffs and the expected number of signal degradations is improved through the use of signal averaging; however, this algorithm suffers from excessive handoff delay. Therefore, the tradeoff between handoff delay and number of handoffs is considered. The corresponding suboptimal algorithm provides nearly one handoff and almost no delay, which is ideal if call quality is also good. Finally, an algorithm which is a combination of the two previous algorithms is explored.
Analysis of image-reconstruction algorithms for circular, cone-beam CT by Hotelling observer performance on a detection task

We apply task-based evaluation methods to image-reconstruction in circular cone-beam CT. The particular task considered is that of detection of a micro-calcification of known location in a known background; namely a signal-known-exactly/background-known-exactly (SKE/BKE) detection task. The image-reconstruction algorithms are evaluated based on efficiency for detection. This task-based metric can be applied to any linear image-reconstruction algorithm, such as the FDK algorithm or other more recent approximate methods for image-reconstruction in circular, cone-beam CT.
Drug-eluting stents are safe and effective: right or wrong?

Coronary stents were conceived to make transluminal angioplasty safer and more effective ([1][1]). When abrupt closure after balloon angioplasty of a proximal left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis in a patient with double vessel coronary artery disease was reversed for the first time by
Recent Advances in Palate and Tongue Development

Palatogenesis and tongue development are complex processes occurring during the formation of the craniofacial region in vertebrate embryos. Palate development comprises multiple events, including patterning of the palatal shelves, palatal growth, elevation, and fusion. A tightly regulated network controls these processes. Tongue development is also highly regulated and involves the interaction between myogenic progenitors and the surrounding cranial neural crest-derived mesenchyme, as well as events controlled intrinsically in these two compartments. Here we summarize major advances in the understanding of both palate development and tongue myogenesis from a molecular perspective.
Scalable Data-Driven PageRank: Algorithms, System Issues, and Lessons Learned

Large-scale network and graph analysis has received considerable attention recently. Graph mining techniques often involve an iterative algorithm, which can be implemented in a variety of ways. Using PageRank as a model problem, we look at three algorithm design axes: work activation, data access pattern, and scheduling. We investigate the impact of different algorithm design choices. Using these design axes, we design and test a variety of PageRank implementations finding that data-driven, push-based algorithms are able to achieve more than 28x the performance of standard PageRank implementations (e.g., those in GraphLab). The design choices affect both single-threaded performance as well as parallel scalability. The implementation lessons not only guide efficient implementations of many graph mining algorithms, but also provide a framework for designing new scalable algorithms.
Business and Labor in the American Government Textbook: A Pilot Inventory and Analysis of Coverage

Extensive changes have developed since the 1970s in the attributes and activities of labor unions and business organizations as political interest groups (e.g., Mizruchi, 2013; Rosenfeld, 2014). To facilitate assessment of the scope and content of the explanation devoted to these interests in American government textbooks, these developments were reviewed and summarized and an inventory of topical coverage was developed. An initial topical list was developed on the basis of experience and a priori assumptions and iteratively expanded via review of chapters and subsections on interest groups and their activities in an opportunistic sample of twelve textbooks. Explanations of specific topics and links to business and labor interests for each subtopic were tabulated, including assessment of direct or indirect reference and limited or detailed explanation, with expectations adjusted for the context of an introductory textbook. The reviews and tabulations demonstrated that while textbooks may idiosyncratically introduce various of the more than 170 potential topics identified, attention was concentrated on a few indicators of strengths and weaknesses, a few methods of political process participation, and a limited selection of high profile laws, regulations, and court cases. Process, policy, and systemic impacts were infrequently identified or explained. Explanation of labor unions tended to be brief and superficial. Explanation of the political activities of business interests was relatively more extensive and detailed, although often based on allusion and examples, and explanation of the different types of business organizations and interests was generally truncated, and holistic views of business influence were generally eschewed. Developments since the 1970s were generally ignored. Treatment of interest group theory continues to be extensively focused on the concept of pluralism, but also tends to recognize unbalanced participation and influence as an empirical reality. Salient topics for further analysis of interest group politics are discussed.
Abstract T MP119: Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Does Not Impact Mortality in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Currently there is still some reluctance among emergency physicians and even neurologists to prescribe recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for acute stroke. The majority of those unlikely to use it are concerned about causing harm to their patient. The object of this meta-analysis was to pool the mortality estimates at various time points following rt-PA administration. We hypothesized that there was a significant difference in mortality of patients treated with rt-PA and those treated with placebo. Methods: The databases PUBMED, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov were searched for English-language randomized double blinded, placebo controlled trials of rt-PA. Mortality estimates were pooled and reported separately for days 7, 30, 90, and 180. Pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Dersimonian and Laird Random effects model. A priori designed sensitivity analyses included exclusion sensitivity analysis, and subgroup analysis into ...
How Can Advanced Imaging Be Used to Mitigate Potential Breast Cancer Overdiagnosis

Radiologists, as administrators and interpreters of screening mammography, are considered by some to be major contributors to the potential harms of screening, including overdiagnosis and overtreatment. In this article, we outline current efforts within the breast imaging community toward mitigating screening harms, including the widespread adoption of tomosynthesis and potentially adjusting screening frequency and thresholds for image-guided breast biopsy. However, the emerging field of breast radiomics may offer the greatest promise for reducing overdiagnosis by identifying imaging-based biomarkers strongly associated with tumor biology, and therefore helping prevent the harms of unnecessary treatment for indolent cancers.
Experiencing flow in different types of serious leisure in later life

ABSTRACTAs people are living longer, there is an emphasis on adding life to years instead of years to life. Flow is regarded as an optimal experience, which contributes to the quality of life. Such flow experiences are likely to occur in serious leisure settings. Thus, this study explored the relationship between serious leisure types and a flow experience (frequency and quality) among older adults. Respondents were recruited from six different community programmes and a total of 113 surveys were used in the study. Serious leisure activities were classified into five types (i.e. “physically & socially centred stimulating” activity, “cognitively centred stimulating” activity, “diversely low stimulating” activity, “diversely high stimulating” activity, and “cognitively & socially centred stimulating” activity) based on the physical, cognitive, and social stimulation. The findings indicated that people who engage in serious leisure activities that emphasize the cognitive stimulation were significantly more l...
Fatigue behavior of Zn–Ni and Cd coated AISI 4340 steel with scribed damage in saltwater environment

Abstract High strength steel (AISI 4340), coated with electroplated cadmium and zinc–nickel, was characterized for tension–compression fatigue behavior without any damage and with a scribed damage in coating under the salt water environment (3.5 wt.% NaCl) at room temperature. Both coatings provided an equal amount of extended protection relative to uncoated specimen against the corrosion fatigue. Additionally, the scribed damage in both coatings had no detrimental effect, such as hydrogen re-embrittlement, on the corrosion fatigue. These observations were same when specimens were tested at either 10 Hz or 1 Hz. However, corrosion fatigue behavior of Cd and Zn–Ni coated HSS was a combination of cycle- and time-dependent phenomena. Damage mechanisms were similar in both coatings without any damage or with a scribed damage. Damage initiated as a typical fatigue involving transgranular fracture, then a transition region consisting of combination of intergranular and transgranular fractures, thereafter intergranular fracture, and finally failure due to overload. The 1 Hz specimens had relatively larger transition region than 10 Hz specimens.
Significance of NSE in Cerebral Injury

As the morbidity of ischemic cerebrovascular disease increases and its injury gets increasingly serious to health,the accurate diagnosis of severity and prognosis of cerebral ischemia injury in clinic is particularly urgent.As an important index in the diagnosis of cerebral ischemic injury,neurons specific enolase enzymes(NSE) has attracted much attention in recent years.NSE is an easily detected acid protease mainly existing in neurons and neuroendocrine cells.The study showed that the expression of NSE has the feature of high specificity and stability.In the event of cerebral ischemia injury,The detection of NSE dynamic changes in expression degree in CSF and blood to determine the severity and extent of the cerebral ischemia injury and the prognosis effect is of great clinical significance.This article makes a summary on the significance of NSE in cerebral ischemic injury.
The Analysis and Thoughts of Present Situation for Measurement Devices in Gateway

This paper analyzes the present situation on electrical energy measurement device for gateway of Jiangsu electric power grid.Based on the anannual testing status introduces some advices and thoughts for technical management.
Regional Urbanization: Realistic Choice of Urbanization of Old Liaoning Industrial Base

Regional urbanization has become an important trend in the process of world urbanization. Since the effect of big city cluster has become more apparent, regional urbanization shows the tendency of rapid development in the world's major countries. Liaoning as an old industrial base, the gaps among its regional economic development levels are rather large. Urbanization should fully exhibit regional characteristics so that the whole strategic goal can be achieved through regional urbanization.
Bilateral Synchronous Testicular Torsion: A Case Report

A man presented to the emergency room with testicular pain and swelling. Bilateral synchronous testicular torsion was diagnosed and treated. Physical and radiographic findings are discussed as well as differential diagnosis. Avoiding the confusion between torsion and epididymitis with the help of the nuclear scan is stressed.
FAUNAL ASSOCIATIONS IN COLD-METHANE SEEP DEPOSITS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS PIERRE SHALE, SOUTH DAKOTA

Study of ancient cold-methane seep deposits provides insight into the changes in seep communities over the lifetime of a seep, which are otherwise difficult to observe in modern settings. We studied 24 cold-methane seep deposits in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pierre Shale of southwestern South Dakota. These deposits were subdivided into three categories depending on their physical characteristics: (1) those with a single main conduit, few secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and no carbonate cap, implying strong advective flow to the sediment-water interface; (2) those with a single main conduit, a moderate number of secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and a small carbonate cap, implying both advective and diffusive flow to the sediment-water interface; and (3) those with a single main conduit, a high number of secondary pipes and concretionary bodies, and a broad carbonate cap, implying extensive flow, but dampening at the sediment-water interface due to the presence of the large carbonate cap. We analyzed the faunal composition at all 24 seeps. The number of species ranges from five to 20. All of the seeps are dominated by baculitid ammonites, inoceramids, and lucinids (“foundation” organisms). These species are the same as those in time-equivalent non-seep sites in the Pierre Shale and are not seep-obligate. However, in seep categories 2 and 3, the number and kind of secondary organisms increases in association with the development of the large carbonate cap. These organisms include oysters, gastropods, echinoids, sponges, crinoids, and scaphitid ammonites. We infer that these organisms appear because (1) the carbonate hardground provides a more diverse habitat allowing attachment and encrustation and (2) the bottom waters are better oxygenated and/or the level of hydrogen sulfide is reduced because the methane rich fluids are diverted away from the carbonate cap, thus providing a more suitable habitat for organisms such as scaphitid ammonites that require a well-oxygenated environment. However, even at these seeps, the number of secondary organisms usually does not exceed that of foundation organisms.
Long-Term Monitoring of Cetaceans Using Autonomous Acoustic Recording Packages

Autonomous acoustic recorders have advanced our understanding of cetaceans, providing information for better models of species distribution, behavior, ecology, and conservation. For over a decade, Acoustic Recording Packages (ARPs), and its broader-bandwidth successor, High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package (HARP), have been used for Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) providing high-fidelity, long-term acoustic data sets for cetacean studies. Some of these studies are summarized below showing a wide range of applications and results including species signal characterization, seasonal and daily presence patterns, geographic and habitat use, population density and abundance estimations, acoustic stimuli behavioral response, and swimming behavior via array tracking. Species studied include low-frequency baleen whales and high-frequency dolphins and beaked whales.
Response to the Proposed Food and Drug Administration Regulation of Laboratory- Developed Tests: It Is Past Time for Professional Consensus

In October 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)2 released a long-promised draft regulatory guidance document outlining the FDA's plan to regulate one of the most innovative areas of laboratory medicine—laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) (1). While the document and public discussion was extremely broad, the draft guidance and subsequent official public interactions often highlighted LDTs by using molecular biology techniques, next-generation sequencing, and mass spectrometry. The majority of the released comments from laboratory and public health professionals involved in patient care and public health activities opposed the draft …
Finding Self in Ethnodrama

The first time I even heard of the term ethnodrama was when my dissertation advisor in graduate school told me to attend a workshop by Johnny Saldana at the University of Georgia, which was hosting a qualitative research conference. Johnny had been invited as a special guest to work with students and attendees to host an ethnodrama workshop.
Low-cost, disposable fluorescence-based biorecognition system architecture for multiplexed point-of-care molecular diagnostics

The high per patient cost of quantitative, high-sensitivity molecular diagnostics is one of the key roadblocks limiting the transition of this technology from the clinical laboratory to point-of-care diagnostics in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). As a solution, we present a low-cost system architecture for fluorescence-based point-of-care diagnostics using small volume patient sera samples. Our approach combines an inexpensive 4-site microscope slide reader with low per patient cost consumables using conventional glass microscope slides, pre-printed with biorecognition molecules. We use a neuromorphic-inspired, charge-integrating readout circuit architecture combined with optical filters in a sandwich-style configuration to achieve high-sensitivity while trading off detection time and number of biorecognition sites per slide. Our demonstrated lower limit of detection using Nile Red fluorescent microspheres was a 1,000,000:1 dilution corresponding to approximately 200 microspheres per detection site, approaching the sensitivity of a conventional high-cost desktop clinical laboratory microscope slide reader.
Chapter 3 Frictional Strength and the Effective Pressure Law of Montmorillonite and lllite Clays

Abstract Low-strength clay minerals are a common constituent of fault gouges, and are often cited as a possible explanation for the low ambient shear stresses along the San Andreas fault inferred from heat flow constraints and in situ stress measurements. Montmorillonite, the weakest of the clay minerals, undergoes a gradual phase transition to illite with depth. In order to compare the shear stresses supported by these two minerals with those thought to exist along the San Andreas, we have measured the frictional sliding behavior of pure montmorillonite, mixed montmorillonite/illite and pure illite as a function of effective pressure, simulating burial to seismogenic depths. Strength measurements verify that the effective pressure law for friction holds for these minerals under all conditions. That is, the measured stresses were a function of the effective pressure, P c - P p , independent of the choice of confining and pore pressure. This relation, common for many other rock types, was previously untested for these clays under most conditions. Results show that dry samples were consistently stronger than saturated samples, and that strength increased with increasing illite content. In addition, the coefficient of friction increased as a function of pressure for the montmorillonite gouge, but was independent of pressure for the illite gouge. This behavior may be explained by the presence of loosely bonded interlayer water in the montmorillonite, which is squeezed out at higher pressures, changing the frictional characteristics of the clay. The nonexpanding illite was not affected in this way. For the montmorillonite-to-illite compositional profile, an average shear stress of 60 MPa was determined for crustal conditions to 15 km, assuming a normal hydrostatic gradient. If montmorillonite remains stable at depth, the resulting average shear stress is reduced to 30 MPa. In either case, these values are above the 10-20 MPa shear stress limit along the San Andreas inferred from heat flow constraints. Strength may be reduced to in-situ levels if fluid pressures become greater than hydrostatic within the gouge zone.
Synthetic light-needle photoacoustic microscopy for extended depth of field (Conference Presentation)

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has been extensively applied in biomedical study because of its ability to visualize tissue morphology and physiology in vivo in three dimensions (3D). However, conventional PAM suffers from a rapidly decreasing resolution away from the focal plane because of the limited depth of focus of an objective lens, which deteriorates the volumetric imaging quality inevitably. Here, we propose a novel method to synthesize an ultra-long light needle to extend a microscope’s depth of focus beyond its physical limitations with wavefront engineering method. Furthermore, it enables an improved lateral resolution that exceeds the diffraction limit of the objective lens. The virtual light needle can be flexibly synthesized anywhere throughout the imaging volume without mechanical scanning. Benefiting from these advantages, we developed a synthetic light needle photoacoustic microscopy (SLN-PAM) to achieve an extended depth of field (DOF), sub-diffraction and motionless volumetric imaging. The DOF of our SLN-PAM system is up to 1800 µm, more than 30-fold improvement over that gained by conventional PAM. Our system also achieves the lateral resolution of 1.8 µm (characterized at 532 nm and 0.1 NA objective), about 50% higher than the Rayleigh diffraction limit. Its superior imaging performance was demonstrated by 3D imaging of both non-biological and biological samples. This extended DOF, sub-diffraction and motionless 3D PAM will open up new opportunities for potential biomedical applications.
Venous Thromboembolism in Active Malignancy

Selection of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism treatment is influenced by several patient specific factors. In most cases, LMWH for 3–6 months is the treatment of choice.
Spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage and aneurysms

Spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a rare disease. Spinal aneurysms are even rarer and mostly undetected unless they rupture and become symptomatic. In this chapter we aim to review the available literature about spinal subarachnoid hematoma with special emphasis on spinal aneurysms. As most reports of spinal aneurysms describe a single case or a small case series, the diagnostic algorithm is often lacking. The outcome is also different based on the etiologies; therefore management strategy must be individualized. We addressed these issues in this chapter. The reported incidence of spinal SAH is less than epidural hematoma and more than subdural hematoma. Spinal aneurysms can present as isolated entity or can be associated with other vascular anomalies. Microsurgical clipping and/or resection is possible, especially when they are located dorsally or dorsolaterally. Endovascular approach is also a feasible option unless negotiation of microcatheter becomes difficult in tortuous small-caliber arteries. Successful obliteration leads to good outcome, especially when present in posterior spinal artery. A detailed knowledge of spinal SAH and spinal aneurysms is important to detect them in time. Clinicians must consider several factors to choose an appropriate treatment strategy to ensure the safety of their patients.
Efforts to Develop KRAS Inhibitors

The high prevalence of KRAS mutations in human cancers and the lack of effective treatments for patients ranks KRAS among the most highly sought-after targets for preclinical oncologists. Pharmaceutical companies and academic laboratories have tried for decades to identify small molecule inhibitors of oncogenic KRAS proteins, but little progress has been made and many have labeled KRAS undruggable. However, recent progress in in silico screening, fragment-based drug design, disulfide tethered screening, and some emerging themes in RAS biology have caused the field to reconsider previously held notions about targeting KRAS. This review will cover some of the historical efforts to identify RAS inhibitors, and some of the most promising efforts currently being pursued.
Chest computed tomography angiography in children on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Performing chest CT angiography on pediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be challenging. Successfully performing CT angiography in these children requires substantial communication and coordination between the radiologists and clinical care providers. Additionally, the radiologist must understand the child’s anatomy and disease pathophysiology, flow dynamics of the ECMO circuit, image acquisition timing, contrast injection site, and volume, rate and duration of contrast administration. In this article we highlight the vital factors the radiologist needs to consider to optimize the chest CT angiography in pediatric patients on ECMO.
Beyond Information Content: The Effects of Culture on Affective Grounding in Instant Messaging Conversations

When people communicate, their messages convey affect alongside informational content. The affective dimension of messages is often unclear and open to multiple interpretations especially in an intercultural context. Thus, interlocutors may or may not achieve a state of affective grounding in which each person's affective behaviors are correctly interpreted by his/her partners. The current study examines the effects of culture on affective grounding. We conducted a laboratory experiment in which pairs of participants, half from America (A) and half from China (C), collaborated over instant messaging (IM). We found that affective grounding was harder to achieve for AA and AC pairs, but easier for CC pairs. We propose several design solutions to facilitate affective grounding in remote collaborations.
Mycobiota associated with insect galleries in walnut with thousand cankers disease reveals a potential natural enemy against Geosmithia morbida.

Abstract Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) affects Juglans and Pterocarya species. This disease poses not only a major threat to the nut and timber industries but also to native stands of walnut trees. Galleries created by Pityophthorus juglandis (vector) are colonized by the fungus Geosmithia morbida (causal agent of necrosis). It is unknown if other fungi colonizing these galleries might act antagonistically towards G. morbida. The objectives of this study were to: (1) characterize the fungal community associated with TCD-infected trees and (2) develop a pilot study addressing their potential antagonism towards G. morbida. We collected non-Geosmithia fungi from ten TCD-infected walnut trees from California and Tennessee. Four hundred and fifty-seven isolates, representing sixty-five Operational Taxonomic Units (99 % ITS similarity) were obtained. Fungal communities were found to be highly diverse. Ophiostoma dominated the communities associated with TCD-compromised trees from California, whereas Trichoderma dominated TCD-compromised trees in Tennessee. Six Trichoderma isolates showed varying levels of antagonism against three isolates of G. morbida, suggesting potential applications for the biological control of TCD. Furthermore, results from this study contribute to the growing knowledge about the observed differential disease development between the western and eastern USA and could overall impact our understanding of TCD etiology.
Nonlinear Inverted-U Shaped Relationship Between Aging and Epidermal Innervation in the Rat Plantar Hind Paw: A Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy Study.

Abstract The under-reporting of pain and atypical manifestations of painful syndromes within the elderly population have been well documented, however, the specific relationship between pain and aging remains ambiguous. Previous studies have reported degenerative changes in primary afferents with aging. In this study, we questioned whether there is any change in the density of primary afferent endings within the epidermis of aged animals. Rats were categorically assessed in 4 age groups, each representing a key developmental stage across their life span: juvenile (2 months), adult (7 months); aged (18 months), and senescent (24–26 months). The plantar hind paw skin was removed, post-fixed, cut, and immunostained for protein gene product 9.5 and type IV collagen. Rats in the adult aged groups had significantly increased epidermal nerve densities and total lengths of immunoreactive nerve fibers, compared with juvenile as well as senescent rats. However, the paw withdrawal thresholds to punctate mechanical stimulation progressively increased with age, and did not exhibit a clear relationship with epidermal innervation. We conclude a nonlinear, inverted-U shaped relationship between rat plantar epidermal nerve density with aging, which does not correlate with mechanically-induced paw withdrawal behaviors. Perspective This article presents age-related decreased epidermal innervation in rat hind paw skin, which partly explains mechanisms underlying decreased pain sensitivity in aged subjects. The report may help clinicians to understand that any compromise of pain-sensing pathway can lead to under-reporting of pain, inadequate analgesia, and slower recovery from a painful condition.
The Constitutional Court, Military Jurisdiction, and Human Rights Prosecutions in Colombia

This chapter discusses the origin of Colombia’s military criminal code in emergency decrees and the decades-long military jurisdiction over human rights cases that followed. This chapter traces a shift from prior years of government impunity to a period in the mid-late 1990s when human rights prosecutions emerged and steadily increased over time. As a result of two key factors, judicial review of emergency legislation and judicial independence among judges on the Constitutional Court, the military criminal code was altered, prosecutions were steadily transferred from military courts to ordinary courts, and the number of prosecutions increased.
Monarch butterfly declines reported in Boyle et al. (2019) are biased by unexamined changes in museum collections over time

Abstract Museum records provide an underutilized source of information for documenting long-term changes in phenology, species interactions, and trait evolution. However, non-systematic collection data must be treated carefully if they are to approximate abundance, as trends may be confounded with spatial or temporal changes in sampling effort. Boyle et al. (2019b) argue that the relative abundance of Eastern North American Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) has been in a long-term decline since the mid-20th century, following a similar decline in milkweed (Asclepias spp.) herbarium records. I demonstrate that this reported abundance trend is biased by the choice to standardize Monarch records as a proportion of all Lepidoptera collected. The sampling of Lepidoptera has changed systematically over time to favor moths, causing the apparent trend in Monarch records. With the data standardized more appropriately, I show that the trend in Monarch records shows no mid-century decline and increases over recent decades. As the trend in Monarch museum specimens contradicts the recent trend in Monarch abundance documented from systematic population monitoring, I argue that these records are unreliable for abundance estimates. The conclusion in Boyle et al. (2019b) that Monarch declines started in the mid-20th century is unwarranted both because the trend is biased by sampling changes in museum records and because the trend in Monarch records, when corrected, does not correspond with real-world population abundance.
Alport’s Syndrome

Every nephrologist knows what Alport’s syndrome is, but no one can define it to the satisfaction of all. Cecil Alport emphasized the association of deafness with nephritis in the family he studied (1). In deference to his contribution, Alport’s syndrome commonly denotes hereditary hematuric nephritis with deafness. This simple definition has several drawbacks. Firstly, true deafness, defined as inability to hear and understand speech even with amplification (2), is rarely found in Alport patients; hearing loss is a more precise term. Secondly, families with and others without appreciable hearing loss have clinically, histologically, ultrastructurally, and immunochemically indistinguishable renal disease (3). Thirdly, mutations in COL4A5*, the gene responsible for many or most cases of Alport’s syndrome, have been found in families with (4, 5) and without (6–8) hearing loss. Hearing loss is best regarded as one of the features shown by some kindreds but not others: ocular abnormalities, abnormalities of the formed elements of the blood, and esophageal, tracheobronchial and genital leiomyomatosis fall into the same category.
The Noisy Neighbor Effect: How Negative Advertising in One State Influences Viewers Next Door

Recent elections at all levels of government have been marked by unprecedented levels of political advertising, leaving voters to decipher more information than ever before eventually casting their ballots. How competent are voters at sorting through all of it and shaping their opinions based on relevant information? I exploit variations in state-election law and the timing of gubernatorial races to test whether seemingly irrelevant information can shape voter attitudes. I find that, all else equal, those living in multi-state media markets who were exposed to negative television ads for a gubernatorial race taking place in a neighboring state were more disapproving of their own governors than other residents of their state. In a crowded landscape of political information, the ability of voters to sift through and accurately process political messaging is vital to the functioning of democracy. This result call that ability into question and raise new implications for the regulation of political advertising in American elections.
Reducing Maternal and Child Health Disparities among Latino Immigrants in South Carolina Through a Tailored, Culturally Appropriate and Participant-Driven Initiative

Newly arrived Latino immigrants in South Carolina (SC), especially Latina mothers, experience many health related barriers including a general lack of health services information. The PASOs program, which means “steps” in Spanish, uses education, outreach, partnerships and advocacy to empower Latino families to utilize available health care services throughout SC. PASOs is a community-based program conducted by college trained bilingual/bicultural facilitators with the support from community health care workers (promotores de salud). Participants (n=523) were expectant mothers with an average age of 27 (SD=6) years, mostly from Mexico (69%), with an average of 9 (SD=4) years of education and 7 (SD=5) years living in the US. Repeated measures analyses from pre-test to post-test indicated significant knowledge improvement (p<0.005) regarding the importance of prenatal care, signs of preterm delivery, benefits of breastfeeding, and the importance of folic acid intake during periconception. By the end of the course, the majority of the Latinas (93%; p<0.0001) were able to name a birth control method they planned to use following their current pregnancy. Results of this study emphasize the benefits associated with the implementation of a culturally-appropriate program with newly arrived Latino immigrants, including an increase on preconception, pregnancy, and post-pregnancy knowledge.
Sex differences in peer and parental risk factors for non-medical use of prescription opioids in youth

Background: Prescription opioid non-medical use (NMU) and its associated consequences have been of concern in the US in recent years.Objective: We examined peer influence and parental guidance, in addition to peer and parental sources of alcohol, on patterns of prescription opioid use, including NMU, among males and females separately. We hypothesized that peer influence and parental guidance would have a differential influence for males and females.Methods: The National Monitoring of Adolescent Prescription Stimulants Study (N-MAPSS) recruited youth 10-18 years from 10 US cities between 2008 and 2011 (n = 11,048). The cross-sectional survey included questions on past 30-day prescription opioid use (10,965 provided responses), with NMU defined as non-oral use and/or use of someone else's opioids. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted, examining medical use only and NMU in the past 30 days.Results: Among the 10,965 youth, 3.1% (n = 345) reported past 30-day NMU. Obtaining alcohol from parents was associated with increased odds of past 30-day NMU among males (OR = 2.49, 95%CI: 1.54,4.03) only. For each additional close friend who used other substances, odds of past 30-day NMU increased among males (OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.11,1.37) and females (OR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.04,1.27). Increased number of close friends was associated with decreased odds of past 30-day NMU among males (OR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.78,0.97) and females (OR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.77,0.96).Conclusions: Peer and parental risk factors for prescription opioid NMU were identified among youth, although not all differed by sex. An increased number of close friends was a protective factor against prescription opioid NMU for both males and females.
Preparing Nurses on an Intermediate Care Unit to Assess and Manage Patients Undergoing Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy (CAR T) at an NCI Designated Academic Cancer Center

Topic Significance & Study Purpose/Background/Rationale Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy (CAR T) is a dynamic rapidly developing area of cancer treatment. The delivery of this therapy is complex and many centers struggle with operationalizing the various phases of this treatment, including which specialty area is best equipped to administer, monitor and safely manage the patient for potentially life threatening side effects during each phase of therapy. Without a dedicated CAR T service, it was the determined that adult patients receiving this treatment would be best managed on our intermediate care leukemia/lymphoma unit. Methods, Intervention, & Analysis Prior to treating our first commercial patient, a multidisciplinary team met biweekly to outline a process diagram delineating phases of treatment, team member responsibilities, and SOPs for monitoring and administration of therapy. The inpatient nursing leadership team quickly recognized the need for education and standardization to adequately prepare staff and create a safe patient environment. After an extensive literature search looking at various CAR T programs throughout the country, the nursing leadership team identified a list of high priority action items to develop before the first patient was treated. Using functionality within the EMR, a directed neurologic assessment tool was developed for CAR T patients, order sets for admission, Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), and neurotoxicity were implemented, and a best practice advisory (BPA) was created to ensure team members knew the patient was getting CAR T therapy no matter where they were located within our center. A "one call" process was developed for nursing to verify sufficient doses of tocilizumab were available in advance of administration of CAR T cells, and a very specific after-hours coverage plan was implemented that bypassed the standard hierarchy for notification of abnormal findings and allowed nursing staff to directly the established APP team during the week and the attending physician on call over the weekend and holidays. Findings & Interpretation Between 04/01/2018 and 10/1/2019 there were 17 adult patients treated with a commercial CAR T product. The average length of stay for patients was 15 days. 11 of 17 (65%) of patients developed some degree of CRS and 7 of 17 (41%) of patients developed some degree of neurotoxicity. Only one patient required a transfer to our neuro ICU. Despite having limited experience with assessment and monitoring of these complex side effects, nurses on the intermediate care unit report a high degree of satisfaction with delivering care to CAR T patients. Discussion & Implications With adequate preparation and an engaged multidisciplinary team, CAR T therapy can safely be administered on a non-BMT intermediate care unit. Efforts to streamline and standardize nursing assessment and documentation are essential and help create an environment founded in safety for nurses and patients alike.