cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Escape Barrier for Improved Suction Sampling of Pardosa ramulosa and Nabis spp. Populations in Alfalfa

A widely-used technique for sampling arthopods in forage crops employs the D-Vac7® suction sampler (Dietrick 1961). Various attachments, such as a series of different-sized collecting heads, make the D-Vac a versatile sampling tool. For extensive sampling to estimate population parameters of several species of insects and spiders in alfalfa, we have found the ft2 area collecting head to be the most useful attachment. Although this has proven generally satisfactory, a source of error was noted with certain species. We observed that some of the large insects and spiders are capable of escaping from the D-Vac by climbing down the sides of the collecting bag after having been sucked into it. To prevent this, we designed a simple “escape barrier” which consists of a flange placed inside the ft2 collecting head, as shown in FlG. 1. The flange encircles the entire inside circumfer was taken at each site. This was repeated in different fields on 2 dates ca. 1 month apart. On the 2 dates, 8 and 10 subsamples, respectively, were taken by each technique. The results of sampling 2 representative arthropod species, the hemipteran Nabis spp. and the lycosid spider Pardosa ramulosa (McCook), are presented in Table 1.
Cytologic features of angiosarcoma: A review of 26 cases diagnosed on FNA

BACKGROUND This study describes the cytologic features of 26 angiosarcomas diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration. METHODS Twenty-six angiosarcomas from 20 patients were confirmed by cytomorphology and immunocytochemical (immunohistochemistry) positivity for at least 2 of 3 vascular markers. Specimens were examined for spindled/epithelioid/plasmacytoid single cells, 3-dimensional clusters, multiple prominent/bar-shaped nucleoli (5 times longer than their width), chromatin strands, abnormal mitoses, necrosis, and vasoformative features. RESULTS Eight males and 12 females with a mean age of 52 years (range, 2-94 years) underwent aspiration of tumors in the following: soft tissue or skin/subcutis (n = 10), bone (n = 4), nodes (n = 5), lung (n = 2), liver (n = 2), heart (n = 1), parotid gland (n = 1), and pleural fluid (n = 1). An angiosarcoma diagnosis was rendered for 24 of the 26 cases (92%); 1 was diagnosed as “atypical cells, cannot exclude angiosarcoma,” and another was diagnosed as a malignant vascular neoplasm. Abnormal mitoses were most frequent (85%), and they were followed by single malignant cells (81%: epithelioid [69%], spindled [62%], and plasmacytoid [19%]), 3-dimensional clusters (54%), multiple prominent (62%) or bar-shaped nucleoli (54%), and chromatin strands (31%). Vasoformative features, including hemophagocytosis (54%), cytoplasmic lumina/vacuoles (69%) containing red blood cells (54%)/neutrophils (31%), and endothelial wrapping (69%), were seen in 88%; 23% had all vasoformative features, 88% had at least 1, and 12% had none. CONCLUSIONS Angiosarcomas show a range of cytomorphologic features that make them potentially recognizable on cytology. Although vasoformative features are highly suggestive, they are not specific for angiosarcoma and may be seen in some nonvascular neoplasms. Immunohistochemistry and a high index of suspicion are required for an accurate diagnosis. Cancer Cytopathol 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Advances on Research and Application of Vertical Spiral Agitating Mill

The basic structure,working principle,and new research direction of vertical spiral agitating mill are introduced,and its practical industrial applications are descibed.
GPU accelerated numerical study of PCM melting process in an enclosure with internal fins using lattice Boltzmann method

Abstract Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) has many applications in engineering fields such as electronic cooling, thermal storage of solar energy, heating and cooling in buildings, waste heat utilization and so on. The advantages of LHTES over sensible thermal energy storage or chemical energy storage techniques are high energy density and phase change at nearly constant temperature. Unfortunately, the low thermal conductivity of PCMs increases the thermal gradient in the energy storage system and impedes the heat transfer efficiency. However, high thermal conductivity fins could be used to promote the melting process in PCM enclosures. As a powerful numerical method developed during the past two decades, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) was used to simulate the conjugate heat transfer in the solid walls, fins and PCM region. By changing the velocity field and diffusivities, only one distribution function was needed to simulate the melting with natural convection in PCMs and conduction in fins and enclosure surfaces. As a result, the thermal boundary conditions on the interfaces of PCMs, fins and solid walls were satisfied automatically. By using enthalpy-based multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) LBM model, the iteration steps for the latent-heat source term were avoided. Under this case, the conjugate convective heat transfer with phase change is modeled efficiently. The graphics processing units (GPU) computing becomes attractive since the advent of CUDA which includes both hardware and programming environment in 2007. Consequently, the developed MRT LBM code is further implemented to run on GPU. High computation speed was achieved. The melting process in PCMs was investigated for different materials of fins and walls, number of fins, fin configurations, hot wall temperature, thermal boundary conditions, and inclination angle of the PCM cavity. Lattice Boltzmann method implemented on GPU was demonstrated as an efficient approach to study the PCM melting process with internal fins.
Effect of Agronomic Practices and Soybean Growth Stage on the Colonization of Basal Stems and Taproots by Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae

Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae is a pathogen of upper stems, pods, and seed of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], with a documented latent infection period. This study investigates D. phaseolorum var. sojae as a pathogen of basal stems and taproots. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of crop rotation and tillage system on the incidence of plants infected by D. phaseolorum var. sojae and subsequent effect on seed yield. Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae was isolated from soybean plants at three growth stages (V1, R1, and R8) from basal and subterranean portions of the soybean stem. Small differences in disease incidence were observed between rotation sequences and tillage systems in 2000. Averaged across tillage systems and rotation sequences in 2001, the incidence of D. phaseolorum var. sojae was greater in no-tillage systems and in rotation sequences with continuous planted soybean. When averaged across rotation sequences, tillage systems, and years at R1, the incidence of plants infected by D. phaseolorum var. sojae explained 71% of the variation observed for seed yield. It was concluded that D. phaseolorum var. sojae is a pathogen of subterranean basal stems and causes seed yield loss in soybean.
Cytokine regulation of HIV expression.

We have established an in vitro model of latent or chronic HIV infection and have used this model to examine ways in which HIV replication can be upregulated. We have shown that cytokines are important mediators of HIV replication in chronically HIV-infected cells. Thus, the virus has incorporated itself into the human immune system and utilizes for its own propagation may of the cellular and molecular mechanisms which the immune system uses to maintain its homeostatic regulation
Some effects of non-uniform fields on dielectrics

Some of the more interesting effects of non-uniform electric fields are described in this report. Experimental and theoretical studies show the effects to be rather striking for particles larger than molecular size. The results show that the effect can be used to produce a fairly efficient pumping action of non-conducting liquids, to cause continuous and easily measureable separations in coarse suspensions, to cause selective precipitation, and to produce mixing.
Neural Crest Stem Cells: A Therapeutic Hope Machine for Neural Regeneration

Neural crest cells are a migratory cell population and can generate different types of cells/tissues during embryonic and adult stages of vertebrate development, including neurons, glia, connective tissue, bone, cartilage, and both endocrine and pigment cells. Many studies have suggested that neural crest-derived stem cell populations persist into adulthood and are valuable cell sources for tissue repair and various regenerative medicine strategies. In adults, neural crest stem cells can be isolated from different tissues such as the skin and hair follicle. Recent studies have reported that tooth and dental tissues are easily accessible and rich source for neural crest-derived ectomesenchymal stem cells that can be used for cell-based therapy and regenerative medicine. Since they are preserved in adult human individuals and have a common origin with the nervous system, dental neural crest-derived ectomesenchymal stem cells have been suggested as excellent candidates for generation of neural cells/tissues for cellular therapy and applications in neuroregenerative medicine, ischemic stroke, and spinal cord injury. Herein, we will outline recent advances on the sources and therapeutic applications of neural crest stem cells, particularly for regenerative medicine and nerve tissue regeneration by cell therapy. We will also review recent advances in using dental and non-dental neural crest stem cells in neural tissue repair and regeneration
Using respiratory signals for the recognition of human activities

Human activity recognition through wearable sensors is becoming integral to health monitoring and other applications. Typically, human activity is captured through signals from inertial sensors, while signals from other sensors have been utilized less frequently. In this study, we explored the feasibility of classifying human activities by analyzing the temporal information of respiratory signals through hidden Markov models (HMMs). Left-to-right HMMs were trained for five activities: sedentary, walking, eating, talking, and cigarette smoking. The temporal information from every breathing segment was captured by fragmenting the tidal volume and airflow signals into smaller frames and computing features for each frame. These frames were used as observations to model the states of the HMMs through mixture of Gaussians. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, the classification performance showed an average precision, recall, and F-score of 60.37%, 67.01%, and 62.78%, respectively. Results suggest that respiratory signals can potentially be used as a primary or secondary source in the recognition of some human activities.
A systematic review of sinonasal oncocytomas and oncocytic carcinomas: Diagnosis, management, and technical considerations.

Background Oncocytomas and oncocytic carcinomas are rare tumors of the sinonasal cavity with the propensity for local invasion. This report and systematic review details a case of a nasal oncocytoma involving the lacrimal sac and provides an update of the current literature. Methods A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed and Ovid databases. The data obtained from published articles with sinonasal oncocytoma/oncocytic carcinoma as the primary diagnosis included patient demographics, presentation, radiographic and histologic findings, management, and recurrence rates. Results Twenty cases were identified. The most common symptoms were epistaxis (n = 11) and nasal obstruction (n = 11). Involvement of the nasal cavity was most common (n = 17), followed by the paranasal sinuses (n = 13) and nasolacrimal apparatus (n = 4). Recurrence occurred in 55% of cases. Recurrence was associated with invasion or infiltration found on histology or the presence of both invasion/infiltration and mitotic figures/pleomorphism (p < 0.05), with no significant relationship between recurrence and age at diagnosis (p = 0.42), sex (p = 0.65), and location of tumor (p = 0.14). The authors present the case of a 73-year-old woman with a 5-month history of worsening epistaxis and biopsy-proven oncocytoma. Complete surgical resection of the tumor using combined endonasal endoscopic and anterior orbitotomy approach is described. Conclusion Oncocytomas and oncocytic carcinomas are rare tumors of the sinonasal cavity with a high rate of local recurrence and orbital involvement. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice and complete resection can be achieved with an endoscopic endonasal approach.
PET Imaging in Immunology

The immune system is dynamic and continually adapts to maintain the health of the whole body. Innate immune cells survey tissues for abnormalities and are able to detect and infiltrate infected and/or abnormal tissues. Signals from the initial infiltrating antigen-presenting immune cells lead to activation of the adaptive immune system including: (1) recruitment of adaptive immune cells, (2) activation and rapid expansion of antigen specific adaptive immune cells, (3) differentiation into antigen specific effector cells, and (4) homing to the abnormal tissue if activated in lymphatic organs such as the spleen or lymph nodes (Belardelli and Ferrantini 2002). Once the infected tissue is cleared, there is a rapid decline in effector cells and a small number of adaptive immune cells will remain as memory T or B cells that quickly expand upon repeat exposure to the antigen. Defects in proper immune responses can cause complications that include autoimmunity, persistent infection, or malignancies (Cunningham-Rundles and Ponda 2005). Monitoring the response of the immune system can provide insight into proper diagnosis and therapeutic management of these diseases.
Do High Performance Work Systems Pay for Small Firms? an Intellectual Capital Building Perspective

Prior research suggests that small firms often struggle with human resource management, and limited research indicates that high performance work systems may assist firms in boosting their level of performance via the construction of intellectual resources for the firm. However, exploration of these phenomena in the small firm context is limited. We examine the mediating role of intellectual capital on the relationship between HPWS implementation levels and firm performance and find that a mediating impact is present for sales growth, profit growth, and perceived performance. Results suggest that HPWS implementation enhances small firm performance via intellectual capital building.
Gesture and Joystick Controlled Multipurpose Automated Wheelchair

Objective: The main objective of this paper is to explore the importance of advanced wheelchair which can substitute a better service for the physically challenged. According to livable hood, it is estimated that 10, 000, 0000 people are in the dire need of a wheel chair and it is also estimated that 156 developing countries are in need of it. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The automated wheelchair has a creative design with an ultrasonic sensor and a joystick controlled facility. It further includes a gesture controlled system for the comfort of individuals. This analytic method tries to focus on the importance of the advanced wheelchair in the 21st century. Finding: The ultrasonic sensor detects the objects and measures the distance. The MEMS based accelerometer ADXL335 sensor gives reading based on the change in the acceleration due to gravity analyzing. For achieving all the above actions, we are using Arduino MEGA2560 development board since it is easy to use with above mentioned modules and also the program. Applications/improvements: This paper tries to explore the highlights of creative joystick and gesture controlled wheelchair which can make the life of individual comfortable and happy.
Modeling anaerobic soil organic carbon decomposition in Arctic polygon tundra: insights into soil geochemical influences on carbon mineralization

Abstract. Rapid warming of Arctic ecosystems exposes soil organic matter (SOM) to accelerated microbial decomposition, potentially leading to increased emissions of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) and methane ( CH4 ) that have a positive feedback on global warming. Current estimates of the magnitude and form of carbon emissions from Earth system models include significant uncertainties, partially due to the oversimplified representation of geochemical constraints on microbial decomposition. Here, we coupled modeling principles developed in different disciplines, including a thermodynamically based microbial growth model for methanogenesis and iron reduction, a pool-based model to represent upstream carbon transformations, and a humic ion-binding model for dynamic pH simulation to build a more versatile carbon decomposition model framework that can be applied to soils under varying redox conditions. This new model framework was parameterized and validated using synthesized anaerobic incubation data from permafrost-affected soils along a gradient of fine-scale thermal and hydrological variabilities across Arctic polygonal tundra. The model accurately simulated anaerobic CO2 production and its temperature sensitivity using data on labile carbon pools and fermentation rates as model constraints. CH4 production is strongly influenced by water content, pH, methanogen biomass, and presence of competing electron acceptors, resulting in high variability in its temperature sensitivity. This work provides new insights into the interactions of SOM pools, temperature increase, soil geochemical feedbacks, and resulting CO2 and CH4 production. The proposed anaerobic carbon decomposition framework presented here builds a mechanistic link between soil geochemistry and carbon mineralization, making it applicable over a wide range of soils under different environmental settings.
Embryology and pathophysiology of the Chiari i and II malformations

Hindbrain herniation is only one component of the Chiari malformations. These malformations often have other associated intracranial anomalies and malformations of the vertebral column. Depending on embryologic timing, ­herniation of the cerebellar vermis or tonsils occurs. Additionally, the herniated hindbrain may include the medulla oblongata and fourth ventricle. Currently, no single theory explains all of the malformations seen in the Chiari I and II malformations. These pathologic derailments seem to result from a heterogeneous spectrum of ontogenetic errors and pathological mechanisms, which share some common phenotypical presentations. In this chapter, the theories pertinent to the embryology and pathophysiology of Chiari I and II malformations and their associated anomalies are discussed.
The role of maternal diabetes in repetitive spontaneous abortion

The role of maternal diabetes as a cause of repetitive early pregnancy loss was evaluated by examining the reproductive performance of 154 diabetic patients in 489 pregnancies. The overall incidence of spontaneous abortion among gestational diabetics (12.7%) and frank diabetics (12.2%) was not significantly different from that of matched controls (10.9% and 14.5%, respectively). The frequencies of repetitive (two or more) miscarriage were also similar among both gestational diabetics versus matched controls (10.6% versus 9.1%) and frank diabetics versus matched controls (14.6% versus 16.7%). It is concluded that diabetes per se is not a frequent cause of repetitive pregnancy loss and that routine glucose tolerance testing is not indicated in the evaluation of patients with a history of habitual abortion.
Diffusion and dispersion in steady counterflow : A method for the separation of gases using enhanced mass transport in oscillatory flow

Diffusional separation of molecules or isotopes of different molecular weights is markedly enhanced if the diffusion takes place against a continuous, low-velocity current of the carrier fluid. Theoretically, the separation may become infinite; the mass transport, however, is markedly reduced. The reduction of mass transport can be effectively counteracted by enhancing the rate of diffusion using tuned, axial oscillations of the carrier fluid. Mass transport is enhanced by as much as 4 to 6 orders when diffusion takes place in an oscillating medium. Combining counterflow with tuned, axial oscillations generates a mass transfer that has promising features. (1) It can be applied to gases or liquids; only gaseous separation is discussed in some detail in this paper. (2) It may be used to enrich either the lighter or the heavier of a mixture of molecules. (3) The yield and separation ratio can be controlled over a wide range by adjusting the operational settings of the controlled variables, such as rate of feed input, rate of carrier input, and rate of counterflow. (4) The separation ratio is fairly high even when the ratio of the molecular weights of the gases or isotopes is close to unity. Particular emphasis is put on enhancing the performance by testing the maximal enhancement of mass transport that can be achieved in a particular pipe configuration and by reducing the expected operational costs.
Protein PEGylation for cancer therapy: bench to bedside

PEGylation is a biochemical modification process of bioactive molecules with polyethylene glycol (PEG), which lends several desirable properties to proteins/peptides, antibodies, and vesicles considered to be used for therapy or genetic modification of cells. However, PEGylation of proteins is a complex process and can be carried out using more than one strategy that depends on the nature of the protein and the desired application. Proteins of interest are covalently conjugated or non-covalently complexed with inert PEG strings. Purification of PEGylated protein is another critical step, which is mainly carried out based on electrostatic interactions or molecular sizes using chromatography. Several PEGylated drugs are being used for diseases like anemia, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, hemophilia and cancers. With the advancement and increased specificity of the PEGylation process, the world of drug therapy, and specifically cancer therapy could benefit by utilizing this technique to create more stable and non-immunogenic therapies. In this article we describe the structure and functions of PEGylation and how this chemistry helps in drug discovery. Moreover, special emphasis has been given to CCN-family proteins that can be targeted or used as therapy to prevent or block cancer progression through PEGylation technology.
Simplified model of torrefaction-grinding process integrated with a power plant

Abstract A simple method is presented to formulate the total energy consumption of a biomass torrefaction process operating as a standalone unit or integrated with a downstream power plant. New expressions are derived to estimate the volatiles heating value, mass yield at autothermal operation, and mass yield at minimum energy consumption. Experimental data reported in the literature for grinding torrefied beech in a knife-mill are correlated to estimate the specific grinding energy. The presented model accurately predicts the critical moisture content and the auxiliary heat input of a 150 MWth torrefaction plant producing torrefied woodcutting. Illustrative numerical results are presented for an integrated application using willow and beech as two woody feedstocks. The autothermal solid yield is found to be higher than that at optimum energy consumption. The autothermal solid yield declines with moisture content and it is approximately the same for both feedstocks. For every percentage point increase in the power plant efficiency, the optimum solid yield increases 0.67% and 0.15% for willow and beech, respectively, whereas the energy consumption decreases by 7.1 kJ/kg (willow) and 5.75 kJ/kg (beech). The results suggest that the design of torrefaction plants is highly feedstock-dependent. The method presented can be applied to any type of feedstock and both upstream and downstream applications. It is a simple and effective tool that can be used to have a quick estimate of optimum operating point and energy consumption at early design stages.
Two-stage holographic photopolymers with high dynamic range

Two-stage holographic photopolymers capable of high refractive index modulation (Δn) on the order of 10–2 enable the fabrication of a myriad of optical elements. While there are commercial products available that meet these requirements, researchers often want the flexibility to customize both the form factor of the samples as well as the mechanical and chemical properties for their specific applications. We present a novel high refractive index acrylate writing monomer in a low refractive index urethane matrix as a model material for customization for optical applications. We discuss the achievable Δn of this custom monomer, 1,3-bis(phenylthio)-2-propyl acrylate (BPTPA) in the urethane matrix as a function of solubility, along with a comparison to a commercially available high refractive index monomer, 2,4,6- tribromophenyl acrylate. Formulations with BPTPA exhibit a peak-to-mean Δn ≈ 0.029 in transmission holograms without any obvious deficiencies in transparency, color, or scatter. This writing monomer and the synthetic processes present a promising platform for the fabrication of high-performance holographic photopolymers for a wide range of research applications.
Afterword and Afterthoughts

This book is about politico-cultural sameness and difference in journalistic perceptions and interpretations of the “mediatized meta-event” (Christensen & Christensen, 2013) that was the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack. The volume explored how different national cultural geographies of freedom of expression a shaped journalistic perceptions of the tension between the human right of freedom of expression and its collateral right to satirize, on the one hand, and the religious rite—and expectation—of universal respect for religion and the sacred. The Charlie Hebdo and Jyllands-Posten affairs were triggered in part by the clash between the exoteric (external) and esoteric (internal) aspects of religion. Charlie Hebdo treated Islam like any other philosophical worldview that is open to satirical criticism and intellectual examination. Indeed, Charlie Hebdo, le Canard Enchaine, and other French periodicals set out to do to Islam what radical secularists and militant atheists had done to Christianity since the French Revolution of 1789—reinvent it and domesticate it to fit their national secular republican ideological mold. Their idea has been to transform Islam from Islam in France to an “Islam of France” that would be assimilated into French culture and, like “zombie Catholicism” and “zombie Protestantism,” be rationalized, moralized, emptied of its spirituality and exoteric religiosity. This chapter consists of a survey of the legal, legislative, and public policy impact of the Charlie Hebdo and affair and Muslim identitarian assertiveness in a number of Western countries. The irony is that the Charlie Hebdo affair led to the decriminalization of blasphemy and broadening of the scope of freedom of expression in a number of Western countries.
Image-Based Estimation, Planning, and Control of a Cable-Suspended Payload for Package Delivery

This letter presents an image-based approach that enables an aerial robot with a cable-suspended mechanism to find a payload with unknown mass, pick it up, transport it, and then put it down at a new location. The pick and place task is performed with minimum cable-swing angle. A new process is presented for state estimation, trajectory planning, and dynamic control using a single onboard camera and inertia measurement unit (IMU). Specifically, a new nonlinear observer, which does not require localization information from external sensors (such as a motion capture system), is created for controlling the robot's velocity. The outer position-control loop is designed in terms of the invariant image feature which is decoupled from the robot's attitude and is proved to be the flat outputs of the system. The combined estimation and control scheme is shown to be asymptotically stable in the Lyapunov sense, where damping due to air contributes to stabilizing the rates of the swing angle. The optimal trajectory of the Euclidean homography is efficiently generated to obtain dynamically-feasible trajectories for the image features. A least-square identification technique is employed to estimate the mass of each payload, and the input shaping technique is implemented to reduce payload swing motion. Finally, a practical package-delivery task is performed to validate the process, where it is shown that the robot can effectively pick up and deliver payloads on command with minimum cable-swing angle.
Measuring Thickness-Dependent Relative Light Yield and Detection Efficiency of Scintillator Screens.

Digital camera-based neutron imaging systems consisting of a neutron scintillator screen optically coupled to a digital camera are the most common digital neutron imaging system used in the neutron imaging community and are available at any state-of-the-art imaging facility world-wide. Neutron scintillator screens are the integral component of these imaging system that directly interacts with the neutron beam and dictates the neutron capture efficiency and image quality limitations of the imaging system. This work describes a novel approach for testing neutron scintillators that provides a simple and efficient way to measure relative light yield and detection efficiency over a range of scintillator thicknesses using a single scintillator screen and only a few radiographs. Additionally, two methods for correlating the screen thickness to the measured data were implemented and compared. An example 6LiF:ZnS scintillator screen with nominal thicknesses ranging from 0–300 μm was used to demonstrate this approach. The multi-thickness screen and image and data processing methods are not exclusive to neutron scintillator screens but could be applied to X-ray imaging as well. This approach has the potential to benefit the entire radiographic imaging community by offering an efficient path forward for manufacturers to develop higher-performance scintillators and for imaging facilities and service providers to determine the optimal screen parameters for their particular beam and imaging system.
The Awareness of Negative Pressure Pulmonary Edema in the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) is a noncardiogenic-related rapid onset of bilateral pulmonary edema secondary to various etiologies that lead to upper airway obstruction. Despite the fact that it is more commonly seen in the emergency department (ED), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), there is a lower disease prevalence in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) as it sometimes could be overlooked upon. Prompt treatment often leads to favorable clinical outcomes. We detail a 55-year-old lady with a past medical history of nephrolithiasis, obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea presented with right flank pain due to right kidney subcapsular hematoma and left hydronephrosis due to distal ureteral calculus requiring urological intervention. She unfortunately subsequently developed NPPE requiring MICU level of care after reintubation. Successful extubation was achieved two days later as timely recognition of NPPE led to proper treatment. She was downgraded to general medicine service and discharged without complications.
Treatment with convalescent plasma in solid organ transplant recipients with COVID-19: Experience at large transplant center in New York City.

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients may be at higher risk for poor outcomes with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Convalescent plasma is an investigational therapy that may benefit immunosuppressed patients by providing passive immunity. Convalescent plasma was administered to hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) at an academic transplant center in New York City. Eligible patients were hospitalized and required to have positive nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, be at least 18 years old, and have either dyspnea, blood oxygen saturation ≤ 93% on ambient air, respiratory frequency ≥ 30 breaths/min, partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio 50%. Thirteen SOT recipients received convalescent plasma from April 9, 2020, to May 17, 2020. The median time from symptom onset to plasma infusion was 8 days. Eight of 13 patients (62%) had de-escalating oxygenation support by day 7 post-convalescent plasma. Nine (69%) patients were discharged, 1 (7%) patients remain hospitalized, and 3 (23%) patients died. This series supports the need for additional studies on convalescent plasma use in SOT recipients with COVID-19 to better determine efficacy and identify patients who are likely to benefit.
Face-work for Human-Agent Joint Decision-Making.

We propose a method to integrate face-work, a common social ritual related to trust, into a decision-making agent that works collaboratively with a human. Face-work is a set of trust-building behaviors designed to "save face" or prevent others from "losing face." This paper describes the design of a decision-making process that explicitly considers face-work as part of its action selection. We also present a simulated robot arm deployed in an online environment that can be used to evaluate the proposed method.
Misuse of the Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry in Rule of Reason Analysis

Introduction 562 I. The Evolution of the Rule of Reason and the Less Restrictive Alternative Analysis 564 A. The Original “Rule of Reason” and the Origins of the Less Restrictive Alternative Test 564 B. The Sherman Act, Board of Trade Rule of Reason, and the Search for Net Effects 570 C. Rebirth of the Less Restrictive Alternative Test 577 II. Theoretical Flaws of a Dispositive Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry 586 A. Maximizing Versus Satisficing 588 B. Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry in Other Areas of Law 592 C. Judicial Efficiency 595 III. Practical Flaws of a Dispositive Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry 599 A. Difficulties of Application of the Inquiry 600 B. Application of the Inquiry to Vertical Restraints 610 C. Case Studies 615 IV. The Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry Fails as a Heuristic...619 V. The Proper Role of the Less Restrictive Alternative Inquiry: To Prove Intent 624 Conclusion 632
Anesthesia for Pancreas Transplant

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common medical problems that the clinician might face during his/her medical career. Tight control of the blood glucose is the goal. There are many ways to achieve blood glucose control including, life style modification, oral hypoglycemic agents, insulin injections, insulin pumps, pancreatic gland transplantaion and islet cell transplantation. Pancreatic gland transplantation can be done alone, in conjunction with kidney transplantation, or after kidney transplantation. Pancreatic gland transplantation was traditionally reserved for patients with type I DM, this has recently been expanded to include patients with type II DM. The preoperative anesthetic evaluation for a patient who will undergo a pancreatic gland transplantation needs to be detailed, in order to identify any end organ damage produced by the long standing poorly controlled DM. Hemodynamic and metabolic stability in addition to graft perfusion are the main roles of the anesthesiologist during the intraoperative course. Enteric drainage of the exocrine portion of the pancreatic gland results in less complications from bicarbonate losses in comparison to urinary tract drainage. Portal drainage of the endocrine portion of the pancreatic gland results in a more physiological glucose control as compared to systemic endocrine drainage. Complications of pancreatic gland transplantation include graft thrombosis, early graft loss, pancreatitis, pancreatic gland anastomotic leak, graft rejection and infection.
Fiscal Policies for Achieving Finland’s Emission Neutrality Target

Finland has pledged to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2035 and has sectoral targets for deploying electric vehicles, phasing out coal generation, and oil-based space heating. Fiscal policies at the national and sectoral level could play a critical role in achieving these objectives. Carbon dioxide emissions are already priced significantly in Finland but prices vary substantially across fuels and sectors. The paper discusses a reform to both scale up, and progressively harmonize, pricing while using revenues to address equity issues. It also discusses the potential use of revenue-neutral feebate schemes to strengthen mitigation incentives for the transportation, industry, building, forestry, and agricultural sectors.
Lifecourse Educational Trajectories and Hypertension in Midlife: An Application of Sequence Analysis.

BACKGROUND Higher educational attainment predicts lower hypertension. Yet, associations between non-traditional educational trajectories (e.g., interrupted degree programs) and hypertension are less well understood, particularly among structurally marginalized groups who are more likely to experience these non-traditional trajectories. METHODS In National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort data (N=6,317), we used sequence and cluster analyses to identify groups of similar educational sequences - characterized by timing and type of terminal credential - that participants followed from age 14-48. Using logistic regression, we estimated associations between the resulting 10 educational sequences and hypertension at age 50. We evaluated effect modification by individual-level indicators of structural marginalization (race, gender, race and gender, and childhood socioeconomic status (cSES)). RESULTS Compared to terminal high school (HS) diploma completed at traditional age, terminal GED (OR:1.32;95%CI:1.04,1.66; RR:1.21;95%CI:1.03,1.43) or Associate Degree after <HS (OR:1.93;95%CI: 1.11,3.35; RR:1.55;95%CI:1.10,2.17) was associated with higher hypertension. There was some evidence of effect modification. Hypertension associated with delayed HS diploma versus HS diploma at a traditional age (the reference) was lower for Black men than White men (interaction term:0.44;95%CI:0.21,0.91); similarly, hypertension associated with <HS versus completing HS at a traditional age was lower for people with low cSES than people with high cSES (interaction term:0.52;95%CI:0.30,0.90). CONCLUSIONS Both type and timing to terminal credential matter for hypertension but effects may vary by experiences of structural marginalization. Documenting the nuanced ways in which complex educational trajectories are associated with health could elucidate underlying mechanisms and inform systems-level interventions for health equity.
Control strategy development guide for vaccine drug product

Abstract The control strategy is a critical aspect of vaccine drug development. This chapter introduces concepts of control strategy and how the holistic control strategy can be applied for a multicomponent suspension vaccine drug product. Various concepts and hypothetical case studies are utilized to help the readers to get familiarity with the topic.
Incorporating Prior Information in Adaptive Model Predictive Control for Multivariable Artificial Pancreas Systems.

BACKGROUND Adaptive model predictive control (MPC) algorithms that recursively update the glucose prediction model are shown to be promising in the development of fully automated multivariable artificial pancreas systems. However, the recursively updated glycemic prediction models do not explicitly consider prior knowledge in the identification of the model parameters. Prior information of the glycemic effects of meals and physical activity can improve model accuracy and yield better glycemic control algorithms. METHODS A glucose prediction model based on regularized partial least squares (rPLS) method where the prior information is encoded as the regularization term is developed to provide accurate predictions of the future glucose concentrations. An adaptive MPC is developed that incorporates dynamic trajectories for the glucose setpoint and insulin dosing constraints based on the estimated plasma insulin concentration (PIC). The proposed adaptive MPC algorithm is robust to disturbances caused by unannounced meals and physical activities even in cases with missing glucose measurements. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive MPC based on rPLS is investigated with in silico subjects of the multivariable glucose-insulin-physiological variables simulator (mGIPsim). RESULTS The efficacy of the proposed adaptive MPC strategy in regulating the blood glucose concentration (BGC) of people with T1DM is assessed using the average percent time in range (TIR) for glucose, defined as 70 to 180 mg/dL inclusive, and the average percent time in hypoglycemia ( 54 mg/dL) and level 2 hypoglycemia (≤54 mg/dL). The TIR for a cohort of 20 virtual subjects of mGIPsim is 81.9% ± 7.4% (with no hypoglycemia or severe hypoglycemia) for the proposed MPC compared with 73.9% ± 7.6% (0.2% ± 0.1% in hypoglycemia and 0.1% ± 0.1% in level 2 hypoglycemia) for an MPC based on a recursive autoregressive exogenous (ARX) model. CONCLUSIONS The adaptive MPC algorithm that incorporates prior knowledge in the recursive updating of the glucose prediction model can contribute to the development of fully automated artificial pancreas systems that can mitigate meal and physical activity disturbances.
The roar of Yasur: Handheld audio recorder monitoring of Vanuatu volcanic vent activity

Abstract We describe how near-field audio recording using a pocket digital sound recorder can usefully document volcanic activity, demonstrating the approach at Yasur, Vanuatu in May 2014. Prominent emissions peak at 263 Hz, interpreted as an organ-pipe mode. High-pass filtering was found to usefully discriminate volcano vent noise from wind noise, and autocorrelation of the high pass acoustic power reveals a prominent peak in exhalation intervals of ~ 2.5, 4 and 8 s, with a number of larger explosive events at ~ 200 s intervals. We suggest that this compact and inexpensive audio instrumentation can usefully supplement other field monitoring such as seismic or infrasound. A simple estimate of acoustic power interpreted with a dipole jet noise model yielded vent velocities too low to be compatible with pyroclast emission, suggesting difficulties with this approach at audio frequencies (perhaps due to acoustic absorption by volcanic gases).
Chapter 6 Voltammetry

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the potential of voltammetric techniques for trace element analysis of body fluids. Voltammetry is a major branch of electroanalysis in which a potential is imposed upon an electrochemical cell and the resulting current is measured. The electrochemical cell contains the sample solution into which the working, reference, and counter electrodes are immersed. The potential of the working electrode is varied in some systematic manner to cause electroactive chemical species to be reduced or oxidized. The current flowing is a direct measure of the rate of this redox reaction. The resulting current-potential curve, known as voltammogram, exhibits a peak-shaped, or sigmoidal, response over the potential region where the analyte undergoes the electron-transfer reaction. New voltammetric approaches based upon flow injection analysis and metal-chelate adsorptive accumulation addresses properly the speed and scope limitations of voltammetry, and enhances its competitive power for clinical measurements. The characteristics of the most commonly applied voltammetric methods for measurements of trace metals are discussed, together with their applicability to analysis of clinical samples, modes of operation and pretreatment procedures.
Older Adults and Community-based Technological Literacy Programs: Barriers & Benefits to Learning

In this article, we begin by briefly reviewing some of the national statistics on older adults and computer usage, statistics that led each of us to volunteer as teachers to develop technological literacy programs for older adults at local community centers. Because we recognize that all literacies are developed and used by specific people in specific contexts, we describe the community centers where we volunteered (New England and the Midwest), our roles as teachers and later as researchers, the older adults with whom we worked, and the technological literacy curricula we developed and then revised based on extensive input from participants. Drawing from our experiences and from qualitative, interview-based research with participants, we seek in this article to discuss the barriers and benefits to older adults’ acquisition of technological literacies. In particular, we argue for the importance of building communities of practice based on relational support and interaction and for the importance of drawing from assets and needs existing within communities.
Extensions Under the Access to Information Act

Canada's Access To Information Act requires that responses to requests for information be given within 30 days (Section 7). Requests that do not receive a response within 30 days are said to have received a "deemed refusal." However, the Act also allows institutions to extend the deadline for responding to a request (Section 9). Institutions can define the length of the extension, so long as it is reasonable. Extensions can be taken for one of three reasons: because of the breadth of the request; to undertake consultations with other departments; or to allow consultation with a business regarding the proposed release of commercially sensitive information. This note examines recent trends in the use of the discretion provided in Section 9. It is based on data that is provided to Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) by all federal institutions. (The data was provided to the author by TBS.) A brief interpretation of the data is also provided. The increased use of Section 9 is a response to the Information Commissioner's attempts to address systemic problems with delay in responding to access requests.
Retroperitoneal and Upper Tract Hemorrhage

Massive bleeding from the upper urinary tract (kidney and ureter) can present as either retroperitoneal hematoma or brisk hematuria. Retroperitoneal hemorrhage (RPH) secondary to a urological condition is an uncommon entity that can result from a variety of causes. It may result from local pathology involving either the kidney or adrenal or may be secondary to a bleeding disorder or systemic illness. RPH can present acutely or may have an insidious course. Because of its varying presentation and etiology, RPH represents a diagnostic challenge and may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is essential for the urologist to be aware of the common etiologies and diagnoses and treat them promptly to ensure a successful outcome.
The Rigoberta Menchu Controversy.

The Rigoberta Menchu Controversy. Arturo Arias. ed., with. response by David Stoll. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2001. 416 pp.