cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics of moxidectin in alpacas following administration of an oral or subcutaneous formulation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of moxidectin in alpacas after single subcutaneous injection of a non-aqueous formulation or oral administration of an aqueous drench at 0.2 mg∗kg(-1). Plasma moxidectin concentrations were measured with reverse phase HPLC, and data analyzed using non-compartmental methods. Half-life was longer (p=0.02) after subcutaneous administration than oral (292+/-170 vs 33+/-39 h). The area under the concentration-time curve was greater (p=0.04) following subcutaneous administration (1484.8+/-1049.5 h∗ng∗ml(-1)) than oral (157.6+/-85.9 h∗ng∗ml(-1)). The peak concentration (Cmax) was higher and the after subcutaneous administration, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.18). The relative bioavailability of the oral moxidectin to the subcutaneous moxidectin was 11%. The data suggest a higher relative bioavailability following subcutaneous compared to oral administration. Further studies are needed to determine the therapeutic concentrations of moxidectin in alpacas.
Government and the Connection between Relative Pronouns, Complementizers and Subjacency

This chapter studies relative pronouns in UG with special attention to Welsh and Breton. Unlike other pronouns, relative pronouns have not been investigated extensively. Furthermore, the preverbal particle a in Welsh and Breton has been a source of some confusion and debate. Some scholars regard it as a complementizer while others treat it as a relative pronoun.
An Experiential Learning Model Facilitates Learning of Bedside Ultrasound by Preclinical Medical Students.

Objective To examine the effects of an experiential learning model of ultrasound training on preclinical medical students’ knowledge and practice of Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examination. Methods The study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase 1, first- and second-year medical students participated in a 45-minute didactic presentation and subsequent 1-hour hands-on practice followed by 3-5 precepted FAST examinations in the emergency department. A pretest or posttest design was used to examine the participants’ knowledge interpreting ultrasound images of the FAST examination. In phase 2, students performed FAST scans on patients with abdominal complaints under the supervision of emergency ultrasound faculty over a 1-year period. The participants were scored based on window acquisition, quality of images, accuracy of FAST scan interpretation, confidence level rated by participant, and supervising attending physician. Results In phase 1, 68 novice medical students participated in 11 training sessions offered over a 1-year period. Students showed significant improvement in basic ultrasound and abdominal anatomy knowledge. The mean score improved from a pretest score of 5.8 of 10 (95% CI: 5.3-6.2) to a posttest score of 7.3 of 10 (95% CI: 7-7.6). The students also demonstrated a significant improvement in FAST image interpretation (pretest of 6.2 [95% CI: 5.9-6.6] and posttest of 7.6 [95% CI: 7.1-7.9]). In phase 2, 22 students performed 304 FAST examinations on patients. At the beginning of their training when they performed less than 10 FAST scans, students were able to complete the right upper quadrant view in 88.9%, left upper quadrant view in 69.7%, subxiphoid in 64.7%, and pelvic view in 70% of scans. Across all views of the FAST examination, increasing level of practice was associated with improvement in successfully completing the examination. The absolute increase in the proportion experiencing success in the right upper quadrant view was 1.6%, 3.6%, and 6.2% for the 10-19, 20-29, and >30 groups, respectively, of which none were statistically significant. However, the improvements in the left upper quadrant view was 12.7%, 11.6%, 15.7% for the 10-19, 20-29, and >30 groups, respectively. In all views, performing >30 examinations more than doubled the odds of successfully completing the examination. Conclusion An experiential learning model of ultrasound training consisting of brief didactic presentation, practice FAST examinations on normal models, and proctored examinations on patients is an effective way to teach preclinical medical students basic ultrasound skills.
Test & Evaluation of Cognitive and Dynamic Spectrum Access Radios Using the Cognitive Radio Test System

As the demand placed on wireless networks continues to rapidly grow, devices must utilize available resources as efficiently as possible. Cognitive Radio (CR) provides an attractive solution to this problem, wherein devices learn from their experiences and make intelligent choices to optimize their own performance along with that of the network as a whole. Spectrum sharing is one promising method that has gained much interest as seen by the recent development of LTE-Unlicensed and because of the large amount of spectrum that the federal government plans to open to the public for this very purpose. Research in this area is ongoing and many approaches have been proposed and studied. While the theoretical concepts and algorithms related to this technology are developed, it is important that an efficient test and evaluation methodology exist in order to bridge the gap from theory to practice. The Cognitive Radio Test System (CRTS) is being developed for just this purpose. CRTS is being developed using the CORNET testbed at Virginia Tech, which consists of 48 Software-Defined Radio (SDR) nodes spread through a building on campus. A flexible and extensible base framework for CRTS has been developed and its initial capabilities demonstrated.
Thermogravimetric Analysis of Flexible Thermal Protection Systems for Thermal Response Modeling

A multi-layered, Flexible Thermal Protection System (FTPS) heatshield configuration layup has undergone ground-based testing in an arc-jet facility to simulate heating generated during atmospheric entry. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was then performed on virgin samples of an aerogel felt insulator from this same FTPS layup configuration to characterize decomposition by obtaining its activation energy. Experiments were performed in an inert environment for Standard TGA and Modulated TGA methods using a TA Instruments Q5000IR experimental apparatus. Limited TGA testing resources in the past have resulted in rough approximations of activation energy of FTPS materials with little knowledge of uncertainty. A rigorous TGA testing campaign is set forth to experimentally determine the activation energy and its corresponding uncertainty for samples of aerogel felt to increase knowledge of the sample’s decomposition process. The activation energy and corresponding uncertainty obtained from both Standard TGA and Modulated TGA methods are compared. The activation energy from each method are inserted into an existing thermal response model that simulates heat transfer between layers of a FTPS layup. The resulting temperature traces are compared to thermocouple temperature data recorded during ground-based arc-jet testing to conceptually observe simulation accuracy. Recommendations for future testing and analysis are then summarized.
Production of Epithelioid Cells in Lymph Glands by Injection of Non-Tuberculous Substances.

Until the introduction of certain dyes permitting the staining of cells in the living condition, the epithelioid cell was a rather vague cytological entity. However, it is now possible to define it morphologically (as seen supra-vitally stained with neutral red) as a relatively large cell having a great number of very fine granules or vacuoles, arranged in a rosette, which assume with this vital dye a salmon pink to a brownish red tint. Such an appearance furnishes neither definite nor conclusive evidence regarding the origin or function of this cell, but does, on the other hand, very clearly define it as a cell of distinctive characteristics. This specific characteristic staining quality was first noted by Sabin (1923) in cells obtained from tuberculous lymph nodes, and similar cells have since been observed by other investigators in tuberculous tissues generally. As it had been found that epithelioid cells are very numerous in tuberculous involvement of the lymph nodes, it seemed that these structures w...
A simple mendelian model for 13- and 17- year life cycles of periodical cicadas, with historical evidence of hybridization between them

Periodical cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada spp.) are found only in the eastern deciduous forest region of the United States and have life cycles of either 13 years (Mississippi Valley and southern states) or 17 years (north and west of the 13-year range). There are no populations with intermediate life cycles. Almost every year, somewhere east of the Great Plains, a synchronized group of periodical cicadas can be found emerging. These groups, called "broods," are defined solely by their year of emergence. Whether large (covering several states) or small (covering a few counties in one state), broods tend to occupy a roughly contiguous geographic area in which local populations are patchily distributed. Broods were numbered in chronological order (I through XVII for 17-year broods; XVIII through XXX for 13-year broods) and mapped in detail by Marlatt (1898, 1907). Of the 17 possible years in which different 17-year cicada broods could emerge, 13 have well documented broods. Of the 13 years in which different 13-year broods could emerge, only three now have confirmed broods. There is evidence of
Cumuli oophori in tissue culture: hormone production, ultrastructure, and morphometry of early luteinization.

The steroidogenic activity of cumulus oophorus granulosa cells obtained from unstimulated rabbits in estrus has been investigated at closely timed intervals in short-term cultures. The presence of viable, structurally well preserved oocytes and the addition of large follicle follicular fluid had no apparent inhibitory effect on progesterone or estrogen synthesis and secretion. Progesterone secretion was especially stimulated by the addition of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to the culture medium. A similar increment was also seen, although inconsistently, for estrogen secretion. Ultrastructural evidence of luteinization was demonstrated by quantitative morphometric techniques in control cultures as early as 6 hours after explantation and was shown to relate well to biochemical luteinization. It is suggested that the main modifications in cytoplasmic organelles concomitant with luteinization may be represented only by volume and surface changes rather than by alterations in morphology. Therefore, such changes need to be assessed quantitatively. Oocytes exhibited isolated maturative changes almost exclusively in FSH-LH cultures, such as cortical granule synthesis, resumption of meiosis, polar body extrusion, and two-cell parthenogenetic cleavage. It is suggested that cumulus granulosa cells may play a significant role in the resumption of "spontaneous" maturation in oocytes after their release in vitro from their follicles. Characteristic, thin-walled vesicles, either isolated or in rosette-like formation with cumulus granulosa cells, were described. A possible common nature was suggested for these vesicles and the so-called "Call-Exner bodies."
Transfer of acute care surgery patients in a rural state: a concerning trend.

Abstract Background Regionalized care of complex patients to larger hospitals is an increasingly common practice as the population ages and the physician shortage evolves. The Acute Care Surgery model is new, and there are limited data on the patients being transferred through this system. We hypothesized transfer patients would be older, more complex, and require additional resources. Materials and methods Retrospective chart review of Acute Care Surgery patients admitted to a single tertiary facility. Patient demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes were obtained. Results We found that our 161 transferred patients (TPs) were older (61.2 versus 54.7 y [P Conclusions Although this study confirms transfer patients need the resources for which they were referred to a tertiary center, we unexpectedly found nearly half of transfer patients undergo basic surgical procedures or do not require intervention. This points to a concerning lack of general surgery resources in the community.
Reducing Visual Dependency with Surface Haptic Touchscreens

Interactions with current touchscreens are highly dependent on a pattern of visual feedback. Recently, researchers have developed surface haptic technology that provides haptic feedback on flat touchscreens. This presents an opportunity to add tactile responses to touchscreen interactions. This paper demonstrates that surface haptic feedback can improve the task completion time and accuracy of manipulating non-visual bullseye menus giving users greater confidence while performing selection tasks. Results suggest that haptic technology could be incorporated into applications on touchscreen devices to improve accuracy where the user’s visual sensory channel is not available or is already occupied by another task.
An Evaluation of Attenuation in an Axi-Symmetric Finite Element Model of Elastic Wave Propagation

A consideration of alternative phenomena has been undertaken as a next logical step in the continuing development of a finite element model of wave-defect interactions [1,2]. Preliminary investigation indicates that obtaining the requisite empirical data offers serious challenges and the current study has therefore focused on the necessity of introducing explicit alternative components into the existing algorithm. A brief review of attenuati ve processes is provided as a means of considering numerical modeling approaches. An axi-symmetric finite element algorithm is subsequently introduced and evaluated with experimentally obtained data. The algorithm’s three-dimensional nature facilitates such an evaluation and represents a significant step in the development of a quantitatively accurate model of wave-defect interactions. Conclusions are then made about the types of materials for which this simple elastic model is adequate.
King, Martin Luther, Jr.

Born: January 15, 1929, Atlanta, GA Education: Morehouse College, B.A., 1948; Crozer Theological Seminary, B.D. valedictorian, 1951; Boston University, Ph.D., 1955 Died: April 4, 1968, Memphis, TN The civil rights movement made King. Perhaps its most influential leader, King also helped make the movement. Espousing nonviolent protest against racial segregation, he pursued “liberty and justice for all.” He instilled humane values. His family, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and teachers nurtured his reverence for learning, religion, and service. College and seminary professors introduced him to social gospel theology and Mohandas Gandhi's teachings on nonviolence. Like other fellow seminarians who joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Congress of Racial Equality, he applied Gandhian ideas to social struggles for race and economic equality and peace. Nonviolence sustained his moral purpose and action in the Montgomery bus boycott and subsequent campaigns to end segregation. King powerfully influenced the movement's priorities, including desegregation, voting rights, and fair employment, from Montgomery to the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, where he was assassinated. Southern Christian Leadership Conference raised funds and mobilized through black clergy, congregations, and communities as well as national Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish bodies. White supremacists and the FBI harassed him along the way, but he remained outspoken. He rejected both Black Power and the Vietnam War, hoping to redeem the soul of America from the injustice of racism, militarism, and poverty.
The Experience of Mental Illness: An Introduction to Psychiatric Rehabilitation

This chapter introduces you to the field of psychiatric rehabilitation, an evolving set of services designed to foster the community integration, improved quality of life, and recovery of persons with severe mental illness. The final section of the chapter discusses how psychiatric rehabilitation knowledge is developed, the identification of evidence-based practices, and the sources of that knowledge for professionals and students.
Remarks on the Pre-history of the Mechanical Philosophy

The mechanical (or corpuscular philosophy) has been well-established as a historiographical category for some years now. While it certainly began as an actor’s category, it has slipped into being something else, a kind of broad catch-all category that is taken to include most of those who opposed the Aristotelian philosophy of the schools throughout the entire seventeenth century, part of a broad master narrative about the demise of the scholastic Aristotelian philosophy of the schools and the rise of modern mathematical and experimental science, the titanic intellectual clash that gave birth to modernity.
Efficient concurrent operations of telepresence avatars

Telepresence robot extends operation in remote locations as avatars. The remote physical presence application will enable individuals with mobility limitations such as disabled veteran or police officer to perform regular duties through telepresence robots known as avatars or TeleBots. Certain scenarios require many officers to operate on several TeleBots (1:1, 1:many, many:1, or many:many) in the same service area. Thus, we need an intelligent, fault tolerant management system to support these scenarios.
Processor Architectures for Multimedia

In this chapter, we present contemporary VLSI processor architectures that support multimedia applications. We classified these processors into two groups: dedicated multimedia processors, which perform dedicated multimedia functions, such as MPEG encoding or decoding, and general-purpose processors that provide support for multimedia. Dedicated multimedia processors use either function-specific architectures with limited flexibility but higher speed and efficiency, or programmable architectures with increased flexibility. Both architectures are exploring parallelism inherent in video and image applications by applying single-instruction, multiple-data (SIMD) or/and very-largeinstruction-word (VLIW) concepts. Advanced general-purpose processors provide the support for multimedia by incorporating new multimedia instructions and executing them in parallel by using the SIMD coprocessor approach. A survey of these processor architectures and their performance is presented in this chapter.
Perceptions of accessibility and usability by blind or visually impaired persons: a pilot study

This pilot study utilizes qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of accessibility and usability from the perspective of blind or visually impaired (BVI) persons. Using the frameworks of everyday life information seeking (ELIS) and the sense-making approach, this research addresses a gap in the literature; most studies with this population are either quantitative, outdated, or task-based observations. Through five in-depth interviews, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of the perceptions, experiences, and opinions of BVI persons who use screen readers with a voice synthesizer as a primary modality of interaction with web content. Understanding the information needs and information behavior of BVI persons is important for proper web design, since technical accessibility does not ensure usability. In particular, it is the perception of accessibility and usability that affects information behavior. Design must be informed by empirical research in order for it to be effective in assisting a variety of users to accomplish their information goals.
An introduction to ratchets in chemistry and biology

This article is an accessible introduction to ratchets and their potential uses. A ratchet can dramatically improve directional transport of classical or quantum particles in systems that are dominated by random diffusion. The key idea is that ratchets do not overcome poor conductivity with strong gradients, but rather use non-directional sources of energy like heat or chemical energy to power unidirectional transport, making the ratchet a Maxwell's demon. We introduce the ratchet concept and its inspiration from biology, discuss the terminology used in the field, and examine current progress and ideas in ratcheting electrons and classical particles.
A logic-based representation and tree-based visualization method for building regulatory requirements

Many research and development efforts have been made for automated compliance checking of building designs with regulatory requirements, but there is a lack of a non-proprietary and user-understandable representation of building regulations to support automated compliance checking in the construction domain that is experimentally tested for understandability and reading speed. This research investigates a logic-based representation and tree-based visualization method for building regulatory requirements. The logic-based representation is based on classic logic programming language and can directly support automated compliance checking. The tree-based visualization is expected to improve the understandability and reading speed of the logic-based representation. Therefore, this method attempts to add to the limited research in non-proprietary and user-understandable representation of building regulations that is experimentally tested for understandability and reading speed. To test the understandability and reading speed of regulatory requirements using this representation and visualization method, a survey was conducted to compare different representations, namely, text, logic-based, and tree-based. Statistical analysis of the survey results shows that the proposed tree-based visualization method can significantly improve the understandability and reading speed of the logic-based regulatory requirement representation and this visualization method is at a comparable status with the original text representation of regulatory requirements in terms of understandability and reading speed. (1) The investigated logic-based representation and tree-based visualization method for regulatory requirements serves as one potential non-proprietary and user-understandable representation of building regulations; (2) this research shows that computable representations of regulatory requirements can achieve understandability and reading speed that are comparable to the original text representation through tree-based visualization; and (3) this research reveals that the tree-based visualization of regulatory requirements improves the understandability and reading speed of regulatory requirements when such use is compared to the computable logic-based representation.
Modeling Total Dissolved Gas for Optimal Operation of Multireservoir Systems

AbstractOne important environmental issue of hydropower in the Columbia and Snake River Basins (Pacific Northwest region of United States) is elevated total dissolved gas (TDG) downstream of a dam,...
Structured illumination diffuse optical tomography for noninvasive functional neuroimaging in mice.

Optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging has been a powerful tool for capturing functional brain hemodynamics in rodents. Recent wide field-of-view implementations of OIS have provided efficient maps of functional connectivity from spontaneous brain activity in mice. However, OIS requires scalp retraction and is limited to superficial cortical tissues. Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) techniques provide noninvasive imaging, but previous DOT systems for rodent neuroimaging have been limited either by sparse spatial sampling or by slow speed. Here, we develop a DOT system with asymmetric source–detector sampling that combines the high-density spatial sampling (0.4 mm) detection of a scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera with the rapid (2 Hz) imaging of a few (<50) structured illumination (SI) patterns. Analysis techniques are developed to take advantage of the system’s flexibility and optimize trade-offs among spatial sampling, imaging speed, and signal-to-noise ratio. An effective source–detector separation for the SI patterns was developed and compared with light intensity for a quantitative assessment of data quality. The light fall-off versus effective distance was also used for in situ empirical optimization of our light model. We demonstrated the feasibility of this technique by noninvasively mapping the functional response in the somatosensory cortex of the mouse following electrical stimulation of the forepaw.
The role of attachment style in interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents

Objective(s): This study examined changes in depressed adolescents' reports of attachment anxiety and avoidance with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A), and the relationship between attachment sty...
Primary HPV testing verification: A retrospective ad-hoc analysis of screening algorithms on women doubly tested for cytology and HPV.

Background To evaluate human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as a primary screening tool, we retrospectively analyzed data comparing (1) HPV testing to the algorithms of the ATHENA Study: (2) cytology alone, (3) cytology with ASCUS triage in women 25–29 and (4) cotesting ≥ 30 or (5) cotesting ≥ 25. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from women tested with both cytology and HPV testing from 2010 to 2013. Cumulative risk (CR) for CIN3+ was calculated. Crude and verification bias adjusted (VBA) sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, colposcopy rate, and screening test numbers were compared. Results About 15,173 women (25–95, 7.1% <30) had both HPV and cytological testing. Nearly 1,184 (8.4%) had biopsies. About 19.4% had positive cytology, 14.5% had positive HPV. HPV testing unassociated with ASCUS was requested in 40% of women <30, versus 84% ≥30, with similar HPV16/18 genotyping results (68% vs. 70%). 84 CIN3+ were detected with the following 3-year cumulative risk (CR) (95% confidence interval): HPV+/ASCUS+, 46% (32–66%), HPV+/NILM 30% (15–58%), HPV−/ASCUS+ 12% (6–23%), and HPV−/NILM 0.8% (0.2–3.6%). HPV had higher specificity 57% (54–60%) than cotesting ≥30 52% (49–55%). HPV sensitivity 78% (69–87%), positive 12.3% (9.8–15.3%), negative 97 (96–98%) predictive values, positive 1.8 (1.6–2.1) and negative likelihood ratios 0.6 (0.5-0.6), were not significantly different. Cotesting increased colposcopy rate and doubled testing per CIN3+ diagnosed. Conclusion: While HPV−/NILM cotesting results are associated with low CIN3+ risk, HPV testing had similar screening performance to cotesting and to cytology alone. Additionally, HPV testing and cytology incur false negatives in nonoverlapping subsets of patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:580–586. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Distraction Osteogenesis: Biologic and Biomechanical Principles

Distraction osteogenesis is a bone-regenerative process in which an osteotomy is followed by gradual distraction of the surrounding vascularized bone segments, with formation of new bone within the distraction gap. This process was first described by Alessandro Codivilla at the turn of the twentieth century [1, 2]. Codivilla demonstrated the ability to lengthen the chronically deformed femur or tibia 3–8 cm following an oblique osteotomy. He did this by applying a 25–30 kg distractive force across a full extremity plaster cast, which was serially and circumferentially cut near the level of deformity. Application of traction occurred only at the time of cast adjustment, causing a gap to form, which was then filled with additional plaster. This frequently resulted in pressure necrosis due to rubbing of the cast against the soft tissues of the leg.
Risk factors for measles among infants in Tianjin, China.

Abstract Objectives Infants aged Study design Case-control study. Methods Cases were enrolled from a surveillance system, and IgG-negative controls were sampled from registries at immunization clinics. A logistic regression model assessed for risk factors. Results Among 82 cases and 485 controls, exposure to a municipal hospital (OR [odds ratio]: 5.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–22.82) or a specialty hospital (OR: 13.22; 95% CI: 6.13–28.51) was associated with the disease, whereas visiting a township or district hospitals was not associated with increased odds of measles. Conclusions Hospitals were an important focal point of measles transmission for infants. Hospitals, particularly higher-level municipal and specialty hospitals, should enforce infection control programs to separate infants with highly communicable diseases to prevent transmission.
The Servant Writes Back: Mary Ann Ashford’s Life of a Licensed Victualler’s Daughter

This chapter discusses a rare self-published servant’s autobiography issued in 1844. Mary Ann Ashford’s Life offers an unsentimental view of her many years as a servant and nurse, constituting a virtual compendium of the ways in which servants could suffer from theft, deceit, isolation, food deprivation, arbitrary dismissal, and other forms of mistreatment. Ashford’s account also provides an interesting comparison with a contemporary fictional servant memoir composed by a humanitarian upper-class Quaker, (Miss) Hannah Mary Rathbone’s The Autobiography of Rose Allen, as well as a striking contrast with two contemporary novels with servant heroines, Catherine Crowe’s Susan Hopley, or the Adventures of a Maidservant and Dinah Mulock Craik’s Mistress and Maid, both of which celebrate the ideal of the selflessly devoted servant from an employer’s perspective.
Enhanced total neurite outgrowth and secondary branching in dorsal root ganglion neurons elicited by low intensity pulsed ultrasound.

Objective Despite the prevalence of peripheral nerve injuries (PNI), challenges remain in restoring full functionality to those afflicted. For recovery to occur, axons must extend across the injury site to connect with distal targets, where injury gap size is a critical factor in the probability of restoration of function. Current clinical therapies often achieve limited neural regeneration, motivating the development of new therapeutic interventions such as biophysical stimulation. Approach To investigate the potential for low intensity, pulsed ultrasonic simulation (LIPUS) to impact peripheral nerve regeneration, primary neonatal rat dorsal root ganglion neurons were examined in vitro in response to ultrasound (US). Dissociated neurons were stimulated with varied acoustic power (low, medium, high) and their morphometrics, including total outgrowth, branching, and length, were analyzed acutely after 18 h of growth. Main results Results show US increases total neurite outgrowth by 2.83-fold compared to unstimulated controls at the highest power. Neurite branching at medium and high-power US increased approximately 2-fold compared to controls, while low stimulation exhibited more muted trends. Neurite branching is also impacted by US, with medium and high power eliciting the highest branching, of approximately 2-fold compared to low power and unstimulated controls. Significance These results demonstrate that US stimulation of DRG neurons in vitro impacts neurite morphology and enhances total extension, indicating the potential for advancing and understanding driving mechanisms of ultrasonic therapies for peripheral nerve regeneration.
Integrating raw water transfers into an eastern United States management context

AbstractIn the eastern United States, intermittent transfers of treated water are being used more often as a drought management tool; however, untreated raw water transfers, similar to those observ...
Comparison of diamond- and square-mesh codends in the hake (Merluccius merluccius L. 1758) trawl fishery of the Adriatic Sea (central Mediterranean)

A traditional codend (40 mm diamond mesh) and an experimental codend (40 mm square mesh) made of 2.6 mm diameter knotless PA netting were tested on a commercial trawl net on a sandy-muddy bottom (~70 m depth) of the Adriatic sea in order to assess the size selectivity of European hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) and the reduction of the discards in a demersal multi-species trawl fishery. The catch was sorted as target species and bycatch and the selectivity with respect to European hake was investigated using the covered codend method. The square-mesh codend allowed a reduction of about 37% of the fraction discarded at sea. The mean catch obtained with the experimental codend was lower than that obtained with the traditional codend (about 14 kg per haul) but the short-term economic losses were low (~12%). The square-mesh codend was also more selective than the traditional codend, giving the juveniles of European hake a good chance of escape: the mean selection length (L 50 ) was 7.60 cm in DM and 12.98 cm in SM. Moreover, the mesh configuration did not affect the gear’s performance. Thus, the square-mesh codend could be an easy, inexpensive and useful solution for a more sustainable management of the resources in Adriatic multi-species fishery.
A Probabilistic Model for LCS

Having conceptually defined the LCS model, it will now be embedded into a formal setting. The formal model is initially designed for a fixed model structure \(\mathcal{M}\); that is, the number of classifiers and where they are localised in the input space is constant during training of the model. Even though the LCS model could be characterised purely by its functional form [78], a probabilistic model will be developed instead. Its advantage is that rather than getting a point estimate \(\hat{f}({\bf x})\) for the output y given some input x, the probabilistic model provides the probability distribution p(y|x, θ) that for some input x and model parameters θ describes the probability density of the output being the vector y. From this distribution its is possible to form a point estimate from its mean or its mode, and additionally to get information about the certainty of the prediction by the spread of the distribution.
The association of idealization and intimacy factors with condom use in gay male couples.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of idealization and three specific intimacy factors (relationship satisfaction, excitement, and closeness) to reported condom use in gay male couples. It was expected that there would be negative associations of idealization and the intimacy factors with condom use. Both members of 45 gay male couples completed a questionnaire that assessed these factors. This study found (a) idealization to have a significant negative correlation with condom use, suggesting that the more the individuals idealized each other, the less likely that condoms were used during sex; (b) a significant negative association between relationship satisfaction and condom use, implying that as the couples experienced more satisfaction within their relationships, condom use decreased; (c) a significant negative correlation between excitement and condom use, suggesting that as excitement increased, condom use decreased; and (d) no significant association between closeness and condom use.
Status of Artificial Liver Support: 1977

From the title of this symposium and the distribution of papers, one might mistakenly conclude that artificial liver and artificial kidney development were proceeding in parallel. In fact, progress in these two areas is decades apart. Artificial kidney devices are a standard form of therapy which is currently sustaining the lives of more than 20,000 people in the United States alone (1). In contrast, the sum total of all patients in hepatic failure ever treated with any experimental hepatic support device appears to be approximately 200. Moreover, analysis of the available data on the minority of survivors leaves uncertain the extent to which the devices employed contributed to their recovery.
Abstract 5324: Intragenic DNA-hypomethylation promotes overexpression of ITGB7 in MF subgroup of multiple myeloma

Integrin-β7 is part of an extensive family of glycoproteins and is overexpressed in the MF subgroups in Multiple Myeloma (MM), contributing to drug resistance and poor survival. ITGB7 promotes adhesion and proliferation of myeloma cells in bone-marrow stroma by supplementing growth factors like VEGF. Here, we investigate the possible epigenetic mechanism of ITGB7 overexpression in the MF subgroup, comprising of t(14;16) and t(14;20) myeloma. Newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patient bone marrow aspirates underwent CD138 cell selection to enrich tumor cells to >98%. Samples consisted of those with a t(14;16) (n=17), t(14;20) (n=7), t(4;14) (n=9), t(11;14) (n=10) and hyperdiploidy (n=19, separated into D1 (n=12) or D2 (n=7 subgroups). NDMM patient samples were compared to plasma cells isolated from age-matched healthy donors (n=4), to determine differential changes in epitranscripts. We performed unbiased genome-wide reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in CpG islands, which were validated by Infinium MethylationEPIC arrays (Illumina) in conjunction with gene expression array data (U133 Plus 2.0, Affymetrix) to determine the epitranscriptomic profile in all samples. RRBS was performed using 75 bp reads to a minimum of 20 M reads per sample. Data from MM cells at the Blueprint consortium were also used for annotation of epigenetic marks. Using the RRBS data we identified 26 hypomethylated, overexpressed genes in the MF group samples, which were not present in the other subgroups. In comparison, only 1 gene, FUT7, was hypermethylated and down-regulated in the MF cluster. Most interestingly, we identified ITGB7 amongst the hypomethylated, overexpressed genes. With an in-depth analysis we identified 4 significant (p Citation Format: Samrat Roy Choudhury, Cody Ashby, Ruslana Tytarenko, Yan Wang, Purvi H. Patel, Aneta Mikulasova, Michael Bauer, Shayu Deshpande, Faith E. Davies, Gareth J. Morgan, Brian A. Walker. Intragenic DNA-hypomethylation promotes overexpression of ITGB7 in MF subgroup of multiple myeloma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5324.
Jaundice in the Newborn

Jaundice in the newborn is one of the most common clinical issues encountered by providers in the nursery. While neonatal jaundice is a normal physiologic event, it may at times reach levels that can cause long-term and permanent sequelae. Recognition of the risk factors for hyperbilirubinemia, timely management and monitoring of jaundice, and the correct treatment decisions will help to prevent these sequelae. Management of jaundice in the nursery is also complicated by the need to predict the level of bilirubin not only in the nursery but also after discharge. This chapter will discuss risk factors for jaundice, screening tools, and management of patients who develop jaundice.
Do food expenditure patterns of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program households meet Thrifty Food Plan recommendations

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increases the food purchasing power of its clients by distribution of monthly benefits. The goal of this study was to determine if food expenditure patterns of SNAP households meet the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) recommendations. Results indicated that greater TFP-adjusted total grocery expenditure was significantly associated with greater spending on low fat dairy, vegetables, whole grains and fruits relative to the recommendations. Future research could focus on psychosocial factors associated with inadequate grocery spending among SNAP households.
Approximate Bayesian model inversion for PDEs with heterogeneous and state-dependent coefficients

Abstract We present two approximate Bayesian inference methods for parameter estimation in partial differential equation (PDE) models with space-dependent and state-dependent parameters. We demonstrate that these methods provide accurate and cost-effective alternatives to Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation. We assume a parameterized Gaussian prior on the unknown functions, and approximate the posterior density by a parameterized multivariate Gaussian density. The parameters of the prior and posterior are estimated from sparse observations of the PDE model's states and the unknown functions themselves by maximizing the evidence lower bound (ELBO), a lower bound on the log marginal likelihood of the observations. The first method, Laplace-EM, employs the expectation maximization algorithm to maximize the ELBO, with a Laplace approximation of the posterior on the E-step, and minimization of a Kullback-Leibler divergence on the M-step. The second method, DSVI-EB, employs the doubly stochastic variational inference (DSVI) algorithm, in which the ELBO is maximized via gradient-based stochastic optimization, with noisy gradients computed via simple Monte Carlo sampling and Gaussian backpropagation. We apply these methods to identifying diffusion coefficients in linear and nonlinear diffusion equations, and we find that both methods provide accurate estimates of posterior densities and the hyperparameters of Gaussian priors. While the Laplace-EM method is more accurate, it requires computing Hessians of the physics model. The DSVI-EB method is found to be less accurate but only requires gradients of the physics model.
Bridging Families and Schools to Prevent Youth from Running Away From Home

Running away from home is a serious problem among American youth. It has been linked to numerous negative social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. It is well-established that family dysfunction is one reason that youth run away from home. However, less research focuses on how both families and schools influence youths’ likelihood of running away from home. Drawing from a sample of 4,546 youth from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, I examine how youths’ perceptions of their schools’ safety, experiences with bully victimization, and bonds with their families and their schools predict the likelihood of running away from home. I find that youths’ negative perceptions of their schools’ safety increase the likelihood that they will run away from home. Additionally, I discover that youth who have been the victims of bullying are more likely to run away from home compared to their peers who have not been bullied. My findings also suggest a cumulative effect between youths’ perceptions of unsafe schools and experiences with bullying, suggesting that youth are most likely to run away from home when they feel unsafe at school and have been the victim of childhood bullying. These findings are important because they have implications for policy development. My findings suggest that (a) promoting a positive and inclusive school environment and (b) helping youth foster stronger relationships may help deter youth from running away from home.
BrainFlux: An Integrated Data Warehousing Infrastructure for Dynamic Health Data

Intensively sampled longitudinal data are ubiquitous in modern medicine and pose unique challenges. Future progress in medicine will exploit the fact that multiple physiological measurements can be recorded electronically at arbitrarily high temporal resolution, but novel information systems are needed to create knowledge from these data. In this paper, we present BrainFlux - a novel data warehousing technology that implements a holistic paradigm for storage, summarization and discovery of trends in dynamic data from continuously measured physiological processes. We focus on one specific example of high-resolution longitudinal data: electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings obtained in a large cohort of comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. Post-arrest EEG conveys important clinical and prognostic information to clinicians, but the rigor of prior analyses has been limited by a lack of proper data processing infrastructure. Our EEG data are complemented by a complete set of contemporaneously recorded electronic medical record data, clinical characteristics, and patient outcomes. In this paper, we describe the architecture and performance characteristics of BrainFlux’s scalable data warehousing infrastructure that efficiently stores these data and optimizes information-preserving summarization.
Phegopteris excelsior (Thelypteridaceae): A New Species of North American Tetraploid Beech Fern

Since the 1970s, an apomictic tetraploid beech fern (genus Phegopteris (C. Presl) Fee) has been known in northeastern North America. Previously published isozyme data suggest that this lineage is of allopolyploid origin involving long beech fern (P. connectilis (Michx.) Watt.) but not broad beech fern (P. hexagonoptera (Michx.) Fee), as originally hypothesized. Its second progenitor remains unknown. We performed a principal components analysis of the apomict and its North American congeners to elucidate morphological differences between them. We recognize the apomictic tetraploid at specific rank as P. excelsior N. R. Patel & A. V. Gilman and provide an illustration, a range map, a list of exsiccatae, and a key to Phegopteris species of North America.
Chapter 1 – THE COORDINATE SYSTEM—FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the means of applying algebraic procedures to geometric problems and highlights some of the fundamental concepts and relations. A directed line is a line on which a positive direction is assigned. On a directed line, the lengths AB and BA satisfy the relation AB = – BA. Distances along a directed line in the positive direction are considered positive and those in the opposite direction, negative. Therefore, if AB = 2, then BA = – 2. The chapter discusses the concept of the slope of a line, projections of a line segment on horizontal and vertical lines, and point of division on a line segment. It also discusses analytic proofs of geometric theorems.
Multi-Tb/s hybrid optical communications architecture using novel multiplexing and modulation schemes

A novel hybrid architecture combining spatial domain multiplexing (SDM), orbital angular momentum (OAM) of photon-based multiplexing, wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), and 4-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) is presented to achieve multi-Tb/s serial data transmission rates in single-core optical fibers.
Actions and Reactions

This chapter takes a look at some of the most common errors in conventional thinking about the environmental impacts of human activities. Of particular concern is how they lend themselves to a mismatch between the scale of the problems humans face—now of planetary proportions—and typical responses to them. There are no easy answers, no one-size-fits-all solutions. Even with the benefit of increasingly precise information about the state of human systems, earth systems, and the tipping points to be avoided, the science cannot tell us what to do or exactly how to do it. The socio-environmental synthesis framework, however, introduces previously unavailable resources: a consistent way to integrate disciplinarily diverse information and a reliable theory of long-term socio-environmental processes. Together, they suggest entry points for change and a novel approach to addressing our socio-environmental crises.
Current Perspectives on the Systemic Management of Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common disease of childhood, and some patients experience a prolonged clinical course into adolescence and adulthood. Systemic management is required when AD is not adequately controlled with topical medications. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive review of commonly used systemic immunomodulating agents in childhood and adult AD, including cyclosporine A (CsA), azathioprine (AZA), methotrexate (MTX) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), which are prescribed off-label in the United States, as well as dupilumab, an FDA-approved biologic. We will also provide a brief overview of emerging systemic therapies currently under investigation.