cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Monitoring on IDD Prevention and Cure Effect in Renshou County From 1996-2005

Objective To study the IDD situation in Renshou County and to evaluate the IDD prevention and cure effect by universal salt iodization,and administration of iodine pills in target population. Methods According to the Ministry of Health monitoring program,combination of radom survey and general survey were conducted. Goiter rate,urinary iodine,salt iodization situation were investigated.Results The goiter rate in students fell from 21.5% in 1996 to 4.8% in 2005 showing a clear downward trend. The urinary iodine median data remained above 100 μg/L in the 10 years.Qualified iodine salt rate rose from 54.7% in 1996 to 92.8% in 2005.Three indicators achieved the standards of eliminating IDD.Conclusion In 10 years,the prevention and cure measures reached obvious effect.Each indicator achieved the elimination of IDD in 2005.
Texture Shape Optimization for Seal-Like Parallel Surfaces: Theory and Experiment

ABSTRACTThe geometric shape of surface textures has a major influence on the tribological performance of textured surfaces. This study aims to improve the tribological performance of seal-like specimens with a circular ring configuration by introducing novel texture geometries that generate the highest load-carrying capacity (LCC). A numerical optimization approach is presented to determine the optimum texture shapes for a ring geometry with different constraints on the textured area. The results show that the optimum textures of different area ratios (ARs) have similar chevron shapes with flat fronts. Also presented are the tribological test results of the optimum texture shape (AR = 20%) and their comparison with three regular shapes. It is found that the optimum texture shape provides the lowest friction coefficient under different test conditions.
Dielectric Response of a Thin Sheet

This chapter presents a general background of the dielectric response of materials, including the linear and nonlinear responses. In the context of two-dimensional materials, we discuss models that relates the intrinsic material response functions to the measurable optical properties.
Processes influencing formation of low-salinity high-biomass lenses near the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf

Abstract Both remotely sensed and in situ observations in austral summer of early 2012 in the Ross Sea suggest the presence of cold, low-salinity, and high-biomass eddies along the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS). Satellite measurements include sea surface temperature and ocean color, and shipboard data sets include hydrographic profiles, towed instrumentation, and underway acoustic Doppler current profilers. Idealized model simulations are utilized to examine the processes responsible for ice shelf eddy formation. 3-D model simulations produce similar cold and fresh eddies, although the simulated vertical lenses are quantitatively thinner than observed. Model sensitivity tests show that both basal melting underneath the ice shelf and irregularity of the ice shelf edge facilitate generation of cold and fresh eddies. 2-D model simulations further suggest that both basal melting and downwelling-favorable winds play crucial roles in forming a thick layer of low-salinity water observed along the edge of the RIS. These properties may have been entrained into the observed eddies, whereas that entrainment process was not captured in the specific eddy formation events studied in our 3-D model—which may explain the discrepancy between the simulated and observed eddies, at least in part. Additional sensitivity experiments imply that uncertainties associated with background stratification and wind stress may also explain why the model underestimates the thickness of the low-salinity lens in the eddy interiors. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating accurate wind forcing, basal melting, and ice shelf irregularity for simulating eddy formation near the RIS edge. The processes responsible for generating the high phytoplankton biomass inside these eddies remain to be elucidated.
Prognostic Factors in Ischemic Arterial Stroke

The predictive value of presenting symptoms, MRI and CT findings, and etiology in the outcome of ischemic arterial childhood stroke was determined in a consecutive series of 31 patients followed at the University Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Patient Risk Factors for Mechanical Wound Complications and Postoperative Infections after Elective Open Intestinal Resection.

Background: Few studies focused on the construction of preoperative patient surgical risk profile using only patientsâ€™ personal, social history, and comorbidity profiles. Objective: To identify risk factors for mechanical wound complications and postoperative infections in patientsâ€™ preoperative profiles. Design: Quantitative retrospective cohort study using 2009â€“2011 Health Care Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) databases. Patients: 56,853 patients who underwent elective open intestinal resection. Measurements: Predictors of mechanical wound complications and postoperative infections in patientsâ€™ personal, social history, and comorbidity profiles. Results: Patients age 18â€“39 were more likely to suffer mechanical wound complications compared to patients age 65â€“79 (OR = 1.9, 95% CI [1.5, 2.4], p < .01) and to patients age 80 and over (OR = 2.9, 95% CI [2.2, 3.8], p < .01).Â Patients age 18â€“39 were also more likely to suffer postoperative infections compared to patients age 65â€“79 (OR = 1.4, 95% CI [1.1, 1.6], p < .01) and to patients age 80 and over (OR = 2.0, 95% CI [1.6, 2.6], p < .01).Â Other most significant predictors included male gender, fluid and electrolyte disorders, pulmonary circulation disorders, and weight loss, as well as patients with comorbidities. All statistically significant predictors with positive estimates for postoperative infections were also statistically significant predictors of mechanical wound complications.Â Conclusions: Individual patient risk profile can be constructed using preoperative patient profiles for improving perioperative care coordination and patient care quality. Postoperative infections were associated with mechanical wound complications in patients undergoing elective open intestinal resection.
Bacteria and endothelial cells: a toxic relationship

Pathogenic bacteria use the bloodstream as a highway for getting around the body, and thus have to find ways to enter and exit through the endothelium. Many bacteria approach this problem by producing toxins that can breach the endothelial barrier through diverse creative mechanisms, including directly killing endothelial cells (ECs), weakening the cytoskeleton within ECs, and breaking the junctions between ECs. Toxins can also modulate the immune response by influencing endothelial biology, and can modulate endothelial function by influencing the response of leukocytes. Understanding these interactions, in both the in vitro and in vivo contexts, is of critical importance for designing new therapies for sepsis and other severe bacterial diseases.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking Biventricular Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Strains to Evaluate Ventricular Function in Children After Repaired Tetralogy of Fallot as Compared with Healthy Children

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is an important tool to evaluate cardiac anatomy and ventricular size and function after repaired tetralogy of Fallot. Magnetic resonance tissue tagging is the gold standard for evaluation of myocardial strain. However, myocardial tagging strain requires tagged images to be obtained prospectively, during the scan and with limited temporal resolution. Cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking is a new tool that allows the retrospective analysis of cine images. There is limited experience with cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking strain analysis in children. The medical records of patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot that had a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) study from December 2013 to June 2015 were reviewed. The control group included patients who underwent a CMR with normal cardiac anatomy and ventricular function. Global longitudinal, circumferential and radial strain parameters (2D and 3D) were obtained by retrospectively contouring cine images from ventricular short axis, two chamber and four chamber views using post-processing software (Circle CVi42, Calgary, Canada). The correlation between conventional ventricular function parameters and ventricular strain was performed using Pearson’s correlation. The mean age of tetralogy of Fallot and control subjects was 12.4 and 14.1 years, respectively. In patients after repaired tetralogy of Fallot, the mean left ventricular global 2D and 3D circumferential strains were −17.4 ± 2.9 and −10.1 ± 3, respectively. The mean indexed right ventricular end-diastolic volume was 135.4 cc m2 ± 46 compared to 75.7 cc m2 ± 17 in control subjects (P = 0.0001, CI 95%). Left ventricular global circumferential 3D strain showed a statistically significant difference in patients after TOF repair compared to normal subjects (−10.1 ± 3 vs. −14.71 ± 1.9, P = 0.00001). A strong correlation between left ventricular global circumferential 3D strain and right ventricular end-diastolic volume (P ≤ 0.0001) was noted. We found a strong correlation between left ventricular circumferential 3D strain and indexed right ventricular end-diastolic volume, as well as a strong correlation between left ventricular longitudinal 2D strain and right ventricular ejection fraction. Circumferential 3D strain may be a suitable tool to detect early abnormalities of ventricular myocardium even before the ejection fraction becomes compromised. Large-scale prospective studies are recommended.
Selection of the initial design for the two-stage continual reassessment method

In the two-stage continual reassessment method (CRM), model-based dose escalation is preceded by a pre-specified escalating sequence starting from the lowest dose level. This is appealing to clinicians because it allows a sufficient number of patients to be assigned to each of the lower dose levels before escalating to higher dose levels. While a theoretical framework to build the two-stage CRM has been proposed, the selection of the initial dose-escalating sequence, generally referred to as the initial design, remains arbitrary, either by specifying cohorts of three patients or by trial and error through extensive simulations. Motivated by a currently ongoing oncology dose-finding study for which clinicians explicitly stated their desire to assign at least one patient to each of the lower dose levels, we proposed a systematic approach for selecting the initial design for the two-stage CRM. The initial design obtained using the proposed algorithm yields better operating characteristics compared to using a cohort of three initial design with a calibrated CRM. The proposed algorithm simplifies the selection of initial design for the two-stage CRM. Moreover, initial designs to be used as reference for planning a two-stage CRM are provided.
Sources, mechanisms, and consequences of chemical-induced mitochondrial toxicity

Mitochondrial function is critical for health, as demonstrated by the effects of mitochondrial toxicity, mutations in genes encoding mitochondrial proteins, and the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in many chronic diseases. However, much basic mitochondrial biology is still being discovered. Furthermore, the details of how different environmental exposures affect mitochondria, how mitochondria respond to stressors, and how genetic variation affecting mitochondrial function alters response to exposures are areas of rapid research growth. This Special Issue was created to highlight and review cutting-edge areas of research into chemical effects on mitochondrial function. We anticipate that it will stimulate additional research into the mechanisms by which chemical exposures impact mitochondria, the biological processes that protect mitochondria from such impacts, and the health consequences that result when defense and homeostatic mechanisms are overcome.
The Property of True Friends; or, Paradoxes of Narration in Sarah Fielding’s David Simple

This chapter connects Sarah Fielding’s public defense of Clarissa, in her pamphlet “Remarks on Clarissa,” to her sense of authorship, friendship ideals, and narrative form. Fielding’s Adventures of David Simple (1744) and David Simple, Volume the Last (1753) evoke the notion of ‘reading as friendship” to engage ideas about literary property and the vexed, evolving question of to whom, finally, characters and their stories belong. I contend that, for Fielding, the rhetoric of friendship serves a conscious strategy for coming to terms with the ethical tensions generated by the commodification of literary property, the expanding power of readers, and the crystallization of divergent attitudes toward fictional characters.
Quantum Monte Carlo Approaches for Correlated Systems

Over the past several decades, computational approaches to studying strongly-interacting systems have become increasingly varied and sophisticated. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to state-of-the-art quantum Monte Carlo techniques relevant for applications in correlated systems. Providing a clear overview of variational wave functions, and featuring a detailed presentation of stochastic samplings including Markov chains and Langevin dynamics, which are developed into a discussion of Monte Carlo methods. The variational technique is described, from foundations to a detailed description of its algorithms. Further topics discussed include optimisation techniques, real-time dynamics and projection methods, including Green's function, reptation and auxiliary-field Monte Carlo, from basic definitions to advanced algorithms for efficient codes, and the book concludes with recent developments on the continuum space. Quantum Monte Carlo Approaches for Correlated Systems provides an extensive reference for students and researchers working in condensed matter theory or those interested in advanced numerical methods for electronic simulation.
AB1105 Factors impacting patients' decision to start treatment vary by race

Background Previous research has found that young minority women tend to be more risk averse compared to their Caucasian counterparts. The reasons underlying these differences, however, are not understood. Objectives The objective of this study was to examine whether factors influencing perceived treatment importance vary by race. Methods Women between the ages of 20 and 45 completed a survey. The survey recorded sociodemographic data, trust in healthcare systems and beliefs in medications. It also included a hypothetical scenario in which subjects were asked to rate the importance of taking a medication for a patient with joint pain, migraines and fatigue that benefits 70% of people and is well tolerated except for the rare risk (1 per 100,000) of a neurologic disease that may cause weakness, trouble with vision and numbness. Associations between patient characteristics, medication beliefs, and trust with perceived importance of taking the medication were evaluated for each race. Variables found to be statistically significant were subsequently evaluated using multiple linear regression. Results 299 women completed the survey. Baseline characteristics by ethnicity are described in Table 1.Hispanic women had more negative medication beliefs than did Non-Hispanic Whites, and both Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic subjects had lower levels of hope compared to Non-Hispanic White subjects (difference between means Conclusions Our findings confirm the important influence of emotion on decision making, and suggest that while hope is universally associated with perceived importance of taking a medication, other factors differed, highlighting differences in the decision making process across ethnic groups. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Heart Failure: The Most Important, Preventable, and Treatable Cardiovascular Complication of Type 2 Diabetes

Concerns about cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes have traditionally focused on atherosclerotic vasculo-occlusive events, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and limb ischemia. However, one of the earliest, most common, and most serious cardiovascular disorders in patients with diabetes is heart failure (1). Following its onset, patients experience a striking deterioration in their clinical course, which is marked by frequent hospitalizations and eventually death. Many sudden deaths in diabetes are related to underlying ventricular dysfunction rather than a new ischemic event. As effective treatments for heart failure have emerged, the risk of sudden death has declined, even in the absence of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (2). Heart failure and diabetes are linked pathophysiologically. Type 2 diabetes and heart failure are each characterized by insulin resistance and are accompanied by the activation of neurohormonal systems (norepinephrine, angiotensin II, aldosterone, and neprilysin) (3). The two disorders overlap; diabetes is present in 35–45% of patients with chronic heart failure, whether they have a reduced or preserved ejection fraction. A similar prevalence of diabetes in acute heart failure is reported in this issue of Diabetes Care by van den Berge et al. (4). The interplay between diabetes and heart failure is particularly striking among those with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, who typically have features of metabolic syndrome. As noted by Sandesara et al. (5) in this issue, the presence of diabetes markedly increases the risk of morbidity and mortality of patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, particularly if the microvascular complications of diabetes are also present. There exists a relationship between the severity of type 2 diabetes and the risk of heart failure, but this …
Application of Numerical Taxonomic Techniques in the Study of Behavior

Studies of behavior often produce substantial quantities of data involving multiple behavioral characteristics, frequently for a number of subjects. In many cases, quantitative analyses are required in order to summarize and simplify available information to a readily understandable level. It can be this very exercise of reduction that provides critical insights as to causal processes and character interrelationships. Problems of subjective definition face ethologists, particularly when it comes to descriptive aspects of their work and, thus, a number of investigators have been drawn to explicit methods in attempts to reduce subjective bias.
Compressive Sensing Based Classification in the Presence of Intra-and Inter-Signal Correlation

In this letter, we investigate the problem of classification with high-dimensional data using low-dimensional random projections in the presence of inter- and intra-signal correlations. Each sensor is assumed to compress its high-dimensional (Gaussian) signal vector using random projections in a multisensor setting. In order to quantify the classification performance with compressed data, we consider the Bhattacharya distance as the performance metric. In the presence of intra-signal correlation at a given sensor, the degradation in the Bhattacharya distance with compressed data is shown to be nonlinear with the compression ratio in contrast to the case when there is no intra-signal correlation. In the presence of inter-signal correlation, the degradation in the Bhattacharya distance with compressed data depends on whether or not an identical projection matrix is used to compress data at multiple sensors.
Case report: new onset heart failure in congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, dextrocardia, and situs inversus in an octogenarian

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is a rare anomaly comprising a minimal portion of congenital heart disease cases. Some patients are not identified until adulthood. A minority of these patients maintain normal functional status into the seventh decade and generally only when no other anomalies exist. We describe a case of ccTGA, dextrocardia, and situs inversus in the oldest patient diagnosed with these congenital abnormalities to date. An 83 year old female with known dextrocardia presented with dyspnea and was diagnosed with ccTGA, situs inversus, and new onset heart failure. The factors that lead to a delayed presentation of systemic right ventricular failure in ccTGA remain ill-defined. Common adult acquired secondary causes of heart failure, such as hypertension and coronary artery disease, likely play a role in patients with congenital heart disease. Aggressive screening and management of these co-existing diseases may improve overall outcomes in adult patients with congenital heart disease.
Conceptualizing and Creating Sustainable Careers

The world of work continues to change, with potentially dire predictions for the future as technology, work intensification, and workplace inequities impinge on careers, suggesting a need for incre...
Government, Media, and Citizens: Understanding Engagement with PISA in China (2009-2015).

This study explores the multidimensionality of engagements with international large-scale standardised assessments (ILSAs). The objective is to understand how different policy actors—government, me...
Surgical Palliative Care, “Heroic Surgery,” and End-of-Life Care

Caring for patients in emergency general surgical setting is challenging. At times, surgeons are presented with moribund patients and must decide whether operative intervention is appropriate. Important surgical palliative care concepts assist in making these decisions and include an assessment of the patients’ goals and preferences through structured goals-of-care (GOC) discussions. In the setting of decreased decision-making capacity, shared decision-making with surrogate decision-makers may be necessary. An overview of concepts to consider and practical approach to goals-of-care discussions for emergency surgery is presented in this chapter.
Epilogue: 'Convergence' is a Many-Splendored Thing

This essay is a closing comment to a multi-authored collection of book chapters that explore the extent to which the adjudication of trade and investment disputes demonstrates that the respective regimes are ‘converging.’ It critically examines the scholarship, supported by many opponents of the ‘fragmentation’ of international law, that WTO and investor-state case law is becoming more harmonious procedurally and substantively. The essay urges caution in that respect. The choice between convergence or divergence is not a simple dichotomy subject to a simple ‘progressive’ conclusion in favor of the former. On the contrary, as is suggested by the nuanced essays in the book as well as empirical studies of the use of WTO case law in investor-state arbitrations, whether any particular ruling is an example of either convergence or divergence is a matter of perspective. The essay also considers why studies of the extent to which investor-state arbitrators cite to WTO case law are not conclusive on the question. Finally, the essay examines a recent WTO panel ruling, involving Ukraine’s claim against Russia, that interprets, for the first time, the GATT’s essential security exception (Art. XX) -- an exception that is becoming more common in contemporary international investment agreements. It contends that this important WTO ruling might be seen as evidence of ‘converging’ trade-investment law in only some respects. The essay concludes that the differing structures, litigants, and goals of the two forms of dispute settlement impose limits on the prospects of ‘converging’ interpretations,
Influence of a cell salvage washing system and leukocyte reduction filtration on bacterial contamination of canine whole blood ex vivo.

OBJECTIVE To determine the ability of cell salvage washing and leukoreduction filtration to remove bacterial contamination from canine whole blood. STUDY DESIGN Ex vivo nested cohort study. SAMPLE POPULATION Commercially purchased fresh canine whole blood (n = 33 units). METHODS Commercially obtained canine whole blood was inoculated with known concentrations of one of three species of bacteria, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (quality control strain; Texas A&M University), or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Negative controls were inoculated with sterile saline. The inoculated blood was processed through a cell salvage system and filtered through a series of two leukocyte reduction filters. Samples were aseptically collected at five points during processing (inoculum, prewash, postwash, post-first filtration, and post-second filtration) for bacterial enumeration. RESULTS Bacterial concentrations were reduced by 85.2%, 91.5%, and 93.9% for E coli, S pseudintermedius, and P aeruginosa, respectively, after washing (P < .0001), and bacterial concentrations were reduced by 99.9%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, after the first filtration (P < .0001). After the second filtration, none of the three species of bacteria could be isolated (100% reduction). No bacterial growth was obtained from negative controls throughout the study. The type of bacteria (P = .29) did not allow prediction of bacterial reduction. CONCLUSION Cell salvage washing combined with leukoreduction filtration eliminated bacterial contamination of whole dog blood (P < .0001). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Cell salvage washing and leukoreduction filtration could be applied to intraoperative autotransfusion in clinical animals, especially those treated for trauma or hemorrhage with concurrent bacterial contamination.
Utilization of Concurrent Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation and Dorsal Column Spinal Cord Stimulation in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can be effectively treated with spinal cord stimulation (t-SCS). There is also evidence that dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation may be superior to t-SCS in CRPS. However, there has been no published data, to our knowledge, that looked at the concurrent use of t-SCS and DRG stimulation for treatment of CRPS. METHODS Our study includes four patients with severe CRPS who had all been implanted with a t-SCS. While all these patients had positive results from their t-SCS, they all had areas which lacked coverage, giving them incomplete pain relief. These patients also underwent successful trial and implantation of DRG-S. All four patients reported further improvement in their residual pain and function with DRG-S (>60%), and even superior pain relief (>80%) with concurrent use of t-SCS and t-SCS. RESULTS All patients had a diagnosis of lower extremity CRPS-1. After DRG-S implantation, multiple attempts were made in each patient to use DRG-S alone by temporarily turning the t-SCS off. However, in each attempt, all patients consistently reported superior pain relief and improvement in function with the concurrent use of t-SCS and DRG, as compared to DRG alone. The average numeric rating scale pain score decreased from approximately 7 in the regions not covered by t-SCS to 3 after DRG-S implantation, and to 1.25 with concurrent use t-SCS and DRG-S. CONCLUSION Both t-SCS and DRG-S have been shown to be effective in treatment of patients with CRPS. In our study, concurrent use of t-SCS and DRG-S provided significant improvement in pain and function as compared to using either device alone. This suggests the potential that combination therapy with t-SCS and DRG-S may be beneficial in patients with CRPS. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate this concept.
Towards single photon nonlinear nanophotonics with broad emitters

Quantum optical nonlinearities have received growing interest for their key role in quantum information science, quantum simulations, and other quantum technologies. Unfortunately, most materials exhibit very weak optical nonlinearities, virtually non-existent at the single photon level. Nano-scale optical resonators can store light for a long period of time in cubic-wavelength scale volume, and thus present a unique opportunity to enhance the light-matter interaction. Additionally, breakthroughs in materials science allow us to engineer inherently strong nonlinear materials. In this talk, I will present our theoretical and experimental efforts in nonlinear nanophotonics, integrated with atomically thin 2D materials, specifically transition metal dichalcogenides and solution-processed quantum dots. By confining both light and matter in the wavelength scale, we aim to reach the nonlinear regime, where single photons start repelling each other. I will also elaborate on the possibility of scaling this platform to multiple single photon quantum nodes with the possibility of creating a correlated quantum fluid of light.
Geographic distribution and genetic characterization of poxviruses from human infections in Georgia, 2009–2014

Anthrax is endemic in Georgia, as are multiple zoonotic poxviruses. Poxvirus-associated infections share some clinical manifestations and exposure risks with anthrax, and so it is important to distinguish between the two. With this in mind, an archived collection of anthrax-negative DNA samples was retrospectively screened for poxviruses, and of the 148 human samples tested, 64 were positive. Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of orf virus, bovine papular stomatitis virus, and pseudocowpox virus. This study provides evidence of previously unrecognized poxvirus infections in Georgia and highlights the benefit of the timely identification of such infections by improving laboratory capacity.
Characteristics and Behaviors Associated with Prevalent SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has been a serious threat to global health Previous work has focused primarily on hospitalized patients or on identifying risk factors for disease severity and mortality once the infection has taken place We sought to leverage the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile applications to study risk factors for Covid-19 infection in a large, geographically heterogenous cohort Methods: We analyzed data obtained from the Covid-19 Citizen Science (CCS) Study, a worldwide, mobile application-based cohort After employing forward selection to identify variables with p values < 0 1, multivariable logistic regression models were utilized to identify independent risk factors associated with prevalent SARS-CoV-2 infection Results: Among 36,041 participants in 113 countries and all 50 states in the US, 484 participants had prevalent SARS-CoV-2 infection After multivariable adjustment, being a healthcare worker, living with at least one school-aged child, having pets at home, and having immunodeficiency were each associated with an increased odds of SARS-CoV-2 The association between pets and prevalent SARS-CoV-2 was driven by dog ownership After adjustment for the same covariates, Asian or Pacific Islander race, receiving a flu shot within the past year, increased level of education, and smoking or vaping marijuana within the last 30 days were each associated with a lower odds of SARS-CoV-2 Conclusion: We identified various characteristics and behaviors, many of which are potentially modifiable, associated with prevalent SARS-CoV-2 infection in a world-wide mobile application-based cohort
Long-lived biνo at the LHC

We examine the detection prospects for a long-lived biνo, a pseudo-Dirac bino which is responsible for neutrino masses, at the LHC and at dedicated long-lived particle detectors. The biνo arises in U(1)R-symmetric supersymmetric models where the neutrino masses are generated through higher dimensional operators in an inverse seesaw mechanism. At the LHC the biνo is produced through squark decays and it subsequently decays to quarks, charged leptons and missing energy via its mixing with the Standard Model neutrinos. We consider long-lived biνos which escape the ATLAS or CMS detectors as missing energy and decay to charged leptons inside the proposed long-lived particle detectors FASER, CODEX-b, and MATHUSLA. We find the currently allowed region in the squark-biνo mass parameter space by recasting most recent LHC searches for jets+ . We also determine the reach of MATHUSLA, CODEX-b and FASER. We find that a large region of parameter space involving squark masses, biνo mass and the messenger scale can be probed with MATHUSLA, ranging from biνo masses of 10 GeV-2 TeV and messenger scales 102−11 TeV for a range of squark masses.
Phospho-β-catenin expression in primary and metastatic melanomas and in tumor-free visceral tissues, and associations with expression of PD-L1 and PD-L2

β-catenin (βcat) is an important downstream effector in the Wnt signaling pathway and plays important roles in the development and progression of many cancers including melanoma. βcat expression is regulated by GSK-3β-mediated phosphorylation at positions 33, 37 and 41. In normal cells, phosphorylation at these sites triggers proteasomal degradation, which prevents accumulation of free cytoplasmic βcat. In cancer cells, stabilized β-catenin translocates into the nucleus, where it associates with TCF/Lef proteins to activate transcription of genes that promote tumorigenesis and metastasis, including PD-L1. It has been suggested that nuclear phospho-βcat (pβcat) staining may be diagnostically useful in differentiating primary from metastatic melanoma. Also, a pβcat peptide (residues 30-39, with only S33 phosphorylated) is naturally presented by melanoma cells as a T-cell target. We evaluated expression of pS33-βcat in primary and metastatic melanomas by immunohistochemistry and found its expression varied widely but was most commonly cytoplasmic. Nuclear staining was identified in only 18% of metastatic melanomas. Staining with antibodies to pS33-βcat and pS33/37/T41-βcat was most intense in mitotic melanoma cells; however, pS33-βcat intensity was not significantly associated with AJCC stage, tumor location, BRAF mutation status, or immune infiltrates. Yet, PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression by tumor cells were significantly higher in tumors with high pS33-βcat expression. The low rate of nuclear pS33-βcat expression suggests that pS33-βcat may have limited utility for identifying metastatic melanomas. However, high expression in dividing cells and strong associations with PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression may inform future personalized therapies for tumors with high pS33-βcat expression.
Legal Levers for Cleaner Air in Kolkata: An Assessment of Local Legal Authority

Air pollution leads to adverse health and environmental outcomes in India. Only 16% of the population lives in an area that meets India’s national air quality standards, and less than 1% lives in an area that meets World Health Organization guidelines for air quality. The state of West Bengal, wherein Kolkata is located, faces some of the highest exposures to air pollution in the country, making local interventions in Kolkata critical. This paper outlines measures that the city government—the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)—could undertake to promote cleaner air in the city based on existing legal authority. The Government of West Bengal has significantly more authority than the KMC to regulate air pollution. Given the transboundary nature of air pollutant emissions, a nation-wide approach to improving air quality might also be most efficient. Given that the KMC has the authority to promote public health, construct and maintain roadways, manage solid waste, and educate the public, however, the city should use its authority to enact measures to reduce residents’ exposure to some of the highest levels of air pollution nation-wide. This report was produced as part of the Clean Air Toolkit initiative (CAT) at Columbia University, which aims to support cities in developing solutions for cleaner air.
Electrocrystallization of the Low-Dimensional Organic Conductor [TTF]Br0.7

A Summary Report to The Electrochemical Society for a 1992 Department of Energy Research Summer Fellowship.
Routine and Adversarial Justice

“Plea bargaining” discourse can be approached sociologically by exploring how an interactionally achieved structure is at the root of various phenomena covered by the term. The bargaining sequence is a fundamental unit of social organization1 involved in arranging charges, sentences, dismissals, continuances, and trials for misdemeanor cases. Systematic procedures for leading into, elaborating, and exiting from the sequence relate it to other components of negotiation, such as discussion, argument, justification, counterproposing, third-party participation, and so on.
Sympathetic nervous system activity in the obese hypertensive patient: potential role for central alpha-adrenoreceptor agonists

In most industrialized populations a strong association between blood pressure and body weight has been established. Several large-scale studies in the United States have confirmed the relationship between obesity and hypertension (the Framing-ham Study (Kannel et al. 1967); the Evans Country, Georgia Study (Tyroler et al. 1975); the Community Hypertension Evaluation Clinic (Stamler et al. 1978); Hypertensive Detection and Follow-up Program Cooperative Group (1979)). In the Evans county, Georgia study it was demonstrated prospectively that weight gain can increase blood pressure. Over the six-year period of the study, weight gain was associated with a two-fold possibility of developing hypertension. The converse was also true: subjects who were hypertensive at outset gained more weight. In those who were both obese and hypertensive at the outset, a weight reduction programme averaging 8 kg per patient produced very pronounced decrements in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over a year. Comparing black and white subjects, it was concluded that obese white hypertensives benefited more than blacks from weight loss.
Management of Otitis Media in Children Receiving Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implantation remains the state-of-the-art hearing restoration treatment for children with profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Typical target ages for cochlear implant (CI) insertion in children with congenital SNHL coincides with the peak incidence age of acute otitis media (AOM). As such, the management of AOM in children receiving CIs has not been completely elucidated. Further, the risk of meningitis from AOM after cochlear implantation remains a point of concern. Guidelines postulate that all candidates be immunized with age-appropriate doses of pneumococcal conjugate, Haemophilus influenza type b conjugate vaccines, and appropriate annual immunization against influenza. The conservative, watchful-waiting approach for AOM management is inappropriate for CI patients as the presence of such a large foreign body, with the increased risk of meningitis even without a prior history of AOM, makes the prompt use of antibiotics mandatory. Also, surgeons should consider managing otitis media (OM) with myringotomy tube placement either before or at the time of cochlear implantation to prevent further OM episodes. Patients as well should be educated regarding the signs and symptoms of infections including AOM, mastoiditis, meningitis and the need for appropriate vaccinations preoperatively. Early treatment can prevent implant malfunction and more serious complications of these infections.
‘Watch and Wait’ as Initial Management for Patients with Follicular Lymphomas

Observation until the development of symptoms, or ‘watch and wait’, has long been a proposed management technique for patients with indolent lymphomas. However, investigators have found that there may be differences in outcomes for various patient groups according to histopathology, clinical features of the disease, biologic factors as yet to be fully recognized, and type of initial therapy offered. Recently, investigators from the UK National Cancer Research Institute reported that progression-free results were significantly improved when asymptomatic patients with indolent follicular lymphomas received initial therapy with single-agent rituximab rather than when they underwent observation alone. These results were further improved when they received maintenance rituximab. Time to chemotherapy was also longer when these patients received initial therapy with rituximab, thereby delaying the need for such treatment. However, overall survival rates for patients who received rituximab as initial therapy were similar to those for patients who underwent initial ‘watch and wait’. Future studies should concentrate on risks of such management, including cost effectiveness of such treatments and development of resistance to subsequent therapies.
Geochemical and submicron-scale morphologic analyses of individual Precambrian microorganisms

Abstract In recent decades, the documented fossil record has been extended to some 3500 Ma (million years) ago. Hundreds of fossiliferous units have been discovered that contain thousands of microbial fossils, and the rules for accepting ancient microfossil-like objects as bona fide have come to be well established. Of these, criteria for establishing biogenicity have proven the most difficult to satisfy. Three new techniques have now been devised to help answer this need: (1) ion microprobe mass spectrometry has been used to measure the carbon isotopic compositions of individual Precambrian microfossils. (2) Laser-Raman imagery has been used to analyze the molecular structure of the carbonaceous matter comprising such cellular fossils and associated particulate organic matter. (3) Atomic force microscopy has been used to reveal the nanometer-scale structure of the kerogenous components of individual Precambrian microscopic fossils. These new techniques not only provide means for elucidation of the isotopic composition, molecular structure, and submicron-scale fine structure of individual microscopic fossils, but hold promise for understanding the geochemical maturation of ancient organic matter and clarifying the nature of minute fossil-like objects of putative but uncertain biogenicity, whether Precambrian or extraterrestrial.
A Stochastic Method for Nuclear Power Plant Diagnosis

The value of using neutron noise descriptors, especially the power spectral densities (PSDs) of ex-core detectors, to monitor core barrel motion and fuel element vibrations in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) is well established.1–6 Indeed, in the mid-frequency range (1–20 Hz), PWR neutron noise is dominated by vibration peaks in the neutron PSD that result from the motion of reactor internals. A qualitative examination of such descriptors from a 1150 MWE Westinghouse PWR plant, revealed significant changes in the plant’s noise signature (PSD) as its first fuel cycle proceeded. The purpose of this work is to use a mathematical model of the interaction between small mechanical motions and the core neutronics to provide a tool for quantitative investigation of the PSD structure in the vibrational frequency range.7
The Pathogenesis and Treatment of Dyspnea in the Light of Recent Experiments

Excerpt The treatment of dyspnea is important not only because of its intensely disagreeable nature but because this symptom is indicative of a profound physiological disturbance in the supply of o...
E-commerce in China Changing business as we know it

In discussing the future of e-commerce, many experts have assumed that e-commerce in emerging markets will evolve along the same lines as it has in the US, North America, and to a great extent, in Western Europe. This assumption fails to take into account the differences that exist between the economic infrastructures of emerging markets and those of the developed markets of the West. This article considers how China’s economic infrastructure, which like the infrastructures of most emerging markets is much less highly developed than the industrial West’s, will influence the development of e-commerce in China. By implication, the route of e-commerce development in China may be a more likely route of development for other emerging markets to follow. D 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Hydrogen and Helium Emissions

There is now a wealth of observational data on the emission lines of H seen in the atmosphere. The α and β lines of the solar Lyman series at 1216 and 1026 A excite the extensive H in the terrestrial atmosphere causing it to re-emit them; they are then seen from space above the absorbing lower atmosphere. Scattering of the solar Ly-β line by the atmospheric H also produces the Balmer series Hα line (6563 A) seen from the ground. The interpretation of early Ly-α observations has been summarized (Mange, 1972); discussion is limited here to contributions from 1970 on. Auroral H emission and its excitation are neglected.
Quantum deletion is possible via partial randomization procedure

An alternative kind of deleting/erasing operation is introduced which differs from the commonly used {\it controlled-not} (C-not) conditional logical operation $-$to flip to a standard, `zero' value the (classical or quantum) state of the last copy in a chain, in a deletion process. It is completely reversible, in the classical case, possessing a most natural cloning operation counterpart. We call this deleting procedure R-deletion since, in a way, it can be viewed as a `randomization' of the standard C-not operator. It has the remarkable property of by-passing in a simple manner the `impossibility of deletion of a quantum state' principle, put forward by Pati and Braunstein recently \cite{pbn1}.
Alterations in the Pattern of Amine Excretion in Man Produced by a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor

The administration of monoamine oxidase inhibitors produces an increase in the urinary excretion of many amines for which efficient alternate routes of metabolism are not available. These include tryptamine, paratyramine, and a "metatyramine-like" substance. The inhibitors can therefore be used to detect previously unsuspected pathways of amino acid decarboxylation. The finding that the excretions of norepinephrine, epinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine, and possible serotonin are not appreciably affected are consistent with previous reports of the existence of alternative metabolic routes.
Electromagnetic dissociation of 32S at ultrarelativistic energy in nuclear emulsion.

Electromagnetic dissociation of 200 GeV/nucleon $^{32}\mathrm{S}$ projectiles has been investigated in nuclear emulsion. It constitutes about 15% of the total number of events observed. The production cross section for the electromagnetic process has been found to increase with the projectile charge when compared with that of the $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ beam at the same energy per nucleon.
Creating a Culture of Tolerance in Schools: Everyday Actions To Prevent Hate-Motivated Violent Incidents.

Abstract The purposes of this article are to establish the relationships be tween prejudice or intolerance and hate-motivated school violence; to describe the aspects of school climate or culture that foster prejudice, stereotyping, and scapegoating; and, to provide examples of interventions educators might use, both individually and systemically, to create a school culture of tolerance and re spect for individual and group differences as a means for preventing bias motivated violent incidents.
Growth and differentiation of embryonal carcinoma cell line F9 in defined media.

Abstract This paper reports the growth and differentiation of the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line F9 in completely defined culture media. The defined growth medium, referred to as EM-3, contains plasma fibronectin, insulin, and transferrin in place of serum. F9 cells cultured in EM-3 for over 15 generations retain their ability to form tumors and to differentiate. Fibronectin is essential for the attachment of F9 cells in defined media and its effect can be blocked with affinity-purified anti-fibronectin. When retinoic acid was added to EM-3, the F9 cells differentiated. The majority of the the newly formed cells differed from patient F9 cell two major respects: (i) they were morphologically different; and (ii) they secreted plasminogen activator, and the secretion was stimulated by dibutyrlyl adenosine cyclic monophosphate.