cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of pre-plasma on fast electron generation and transport from short pulse, high intensity lasers

Previous experiments and modeling examining the impact of an underdense, pre-formed plasma in laser-plasma interactions have shown that the fast electrons are generated with energies higher than predicted by ponderomotive scaling [4, 3–14]. We report on experiments using the Texas Petawatt high intensity (150 fs, 1.5 × 1020 W cm−2) laser pulse, which were conducted to examine the mechanism for accelerating these high energy electrons. These experiments gauge the impact a controlled low density pre-formed plasma has on electron generation with a shorter time scale than previous experiments, 150–180 fs. Electron temperatures measured via magnetic spectrometer on experiment were found to be independent of preformed plasma. Supplemental computational results using 1D PIC simulations predict that super-ponderomotive electrons are generated inside a potential well in the pre-plasma [1]. However, while the potential well is established around 150 fs, the electrons require at least an additional 50 fs to be trapped and heated inside it.
Trade Dress and Patent: The Dilemma of Confusion

In the past decade, there has been a tremendous expansion in the use of trade dress protection principles to protect the design of products. This expansion has been justified by courts on the grounds that trademark law and patent law (which would be the logical means to protect such designs) protect different things. This article critiques this use of trademark/trade dress law from several perspectives. First, it begins with a brief discussion of why attorneys have turned to trade dress law for protection, eschewing other intellectual property rubrics, such as patent or copyright. Next, it examines the analytical difficulty in distinguishing product design protection under the rubric of trademark infringement from a simple prohibition on copying. From there, the article examines whether trademark/trade dress analysis differs significantly from that under design patent law, concluding that, although some differences exist, in general the analysis and approach is rather similar. This leads one to believe that trade dress protection is encroaching on the domain of design patent. The article also discusses whether it is appropriate to supplement a statutory scheme such as patent with an essentially judge-made set of principles using the very general provisions of section 43(a) of the Lanham Act. Finally, the article discusses the effect of trademark dilution in this area. It discusses the problem raised by the lack of any requirement of confusion for dilution protection, and includes a discussion of the recent I.P Lund v. Kohler case in the First Circuit. The article concludes by offering some suggestions for future legislation.
«Symbolic ethnicity» and Alaska natives of mixed ancestry living in Anchorage: enduring group or a sign of impending assimilation?

Although significant intermingling of Alaska Natives with "outsiders" has occurred since Russian colonization from the mid-1700s, relatively little literature addresses the effect of population admixture on ethnic identity of Alaska's indigenous people. The straight-line theory of assimilation purports that intermarriage and loss of mother tongue herald the demise of a distinct socio-cultural group. Loss of usage of most of Alaska's Native languages and the high rate of Native-non-Native intermarriage, particularly following World War 11, conform to conditions suggestive of assimilation. The dearth of research on this subject in urban Alaska seems to point to tacit agreement with the straight-line theory by social scientists. This article juxtaposes content areas for inquiry from two recent studies of ethnicity with data from a pilot study of 12 Alaska Natives in Anchorage to provide a broader context for the study's results and as a means to ponder more fruitful areas for future research. The Anchorage d...
Nitric Oxide PLIF Visualization of Simulated Fuel-Air Mixing in a Dual-Mode Scramjet

Nitric oxide (NO) planar induced laser fluorescence (PLIF) measurements have been performed in a small scale scramjet combustor at the University of Virginia Aerospace Research Laboratory at nominal simulated Mach 5 flight. A mixture of NO and N2 was injected at the upstream end of the inlet isolator as a surrogate for ethylene fuel, and the mixing of this fuel simulant was studied with and without a shock train. The shock train was produced by an air throttle, which simulated the blockage effects of combustion downstream of the cavity flame holder. NO PLIF signal was imaged in a plane orthogonal to the freestream at the leading edge of the cavity. Instantaneous planar images were recorded and analyzed to identify the most uniform cases, which were achieved by varying the location of the fuel injection and shock train. This method was used to screen different possible fueling configurations to provide optimized test conditions for follow-on combustion measurements using ethylene fuel. A theoretical study of the selected NO rotational transitions was performed to obtain a LIF signal that is linear with NO mole fraction and approximately independent of pressure and temperature.
Carbon nanotube coated paper sensor for damage diagnosis.

A carbon nanotube coated paper sensor has been developed for the detection of damages in structural components. Electrical resistance tomography is used to measure changes in electrical potential at various locations induced by applying a small electrical current to the sample. The spatial locations and magnitudes of multiple damages are predicted accurately with a sensitivity of 73 ppm in sensing area. The detection limit of the sensor is estimated to be 29 ppm in sensing area, which is at least 30 times better in sensitivity than previous results (0.1–0.65%) in the literature.
Animal Inoculations with Pure Cultures of Trichomonas Vaginalis and Trichomonas Foetus

Received for publication, November 27, 1940. This has been a cooperative study carried out at the Veterinary Research Institute, Iowa State College. Sincere appreciation is expressed to Doctor Charles Murray, Dean of the Division of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State College, and to Doctor E. D. Plass, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, for making this work possible. inoculations. Ten species of animals were inoculated intravaginally, 1 by the subcutaneous route, 3 intraperitoneally, 3 intravenously, 4 orally, 2 by rectum and 3 intracranially. In addition, chick embryo inoculations were studied. Discussion of the experiments will be presented in this order.
Pharmacists’ perspectives on postgraduate training

Pharmacy residency programs foster lifelong commitments to achieving excellence within the profession.[1][1] Postgraduate training not only contributes to personal development but also promotes leadership. Numerous factors have been shown to influence the pursuit of postgraduate training, including
Synthesis of 4-Methoxy-dibenzoyl methane with Microwave Irradiation

Microwave irradiation was used for the preparation of 4-methoxy-dibenzoyl methane from p-methoxy acetophenone and benzoate.The optimum conditions were found as follows:the molar ratio of p-methoxy acetophenone,ethyl benzoate and NaNH2 was 1:15:4,the power of microwave irradiation was 320 W and the reaction time was 45 min.The yield of the target compound was 77.4%.In comparison,the traditional method gives only 61.4% yield in much longer reaction time of 7 h.The product structure was confirmed by means of elemental analysis,IR and 1H NMR.
Analysis of the Epidemiology and Direct Economic Burden of Injury Inpatients in Huangdao District, Tsingtao City

Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics and direct economic burden of injury inpatients in Huangdao district, Tsingtao City in 2009, and to provide basis for prevention and control of injury in future.Methods The data used in this study were information of 1844 injury patients from all six hospitals (public hospitals with secondary and above lelve) of Huangdao from Jan.SPSS 15.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results In 1844 injury inpatients, the male took the percentage of 79.94%; patients with 25~44 years old took 46.42%;the local population account for 57.01%;the major injury time was from Apr. to Oct.;major injury places occurred on road/street (46.58%), industrial and construction site (28.69%) and at home (13.29%); the top three causes of injuries were as follows: blunt injuries (33.89%), traffic-related (28.58%) and falls (23.81%).The medical expenses of injury inpatients were 5299.84 RMB per case and 353.79 RMB per case per day.Conclusion The major injury inpatients were youth and adult people. Blunt injuries, road traffic-related and falls were the major causes of injury. Most injury occurred on road/street, industrialconstruction site and home. The economic burden caused by injury in Huangdao district is large. Prevent and control measures should be strengthened in this area.
A novel hardware acceleration technique for high performance parallel FDTD method

In this paper, we introduce one novel hardware acceleration technique based on a vector unit built in a regular CPU for high performance electromagnetic simulation. We investigate the performance of parallel FDTD method on the Intel and AMD processors accelerated by the Vector Arithmetic Logic Unit (VALU), high performance cluster, and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The FDTD method that is parallel in nature is one of the most popular numerical methods to simulate various electromagnetic problems and phenomena. Several examples are employed to demonstrate the engineering applications of parallel conformal FDTD method based on the VALU acceleration.
Character and Characterization

Character is a traditional word for a person’s consistency, integrity, and fidelity to their deepest commitments. Conscience monitors and safeguards the consistency of character, warning of inconsistencies between a person’s established priorities and his actions, detecting failures to integrate belief and conduct.
SIADH Induced by Pharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background. The Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH) is considered to be the most common cause of euvolemic hyponatremia. The most common malignancy associated with SIADH is small cell lung cancer. We present a rare case of a patient with SIADH secondary to well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the naso-oropharynx. Case. A 46-year-old Caucasian woman presented to emergency department with four-week history of progressive dysphagia. On examination, she was found to have a pharyngeal mass. CT scan and MRI of neck confirmed a mass highly suspicious of carcinoma. Patient’s serum sodium level decreased to 118 mEq/L and other labs including serum and urine osmolality confirmed SIADH. She was started on fluid restriction and oral sodium tablets which gradually improved her serum sodium levels. Biopsy confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of pharynx. Conclusion. SIADH can be caused by squamous cell carcinoma. Appropriate management includes fluid restriction.
Explicit and unconditionally stable FDTD method without eigenvalue solutions

Existing explicit and unconditionally stable FDTD methods rely on a partial eigenvalue solution of a global system matrix to find the unstable modes that cannot be stably simulated by the given time step. In this paper, we develop a fast explicit and unconditionally stable FDTD method requiring no global eigenvalue solutions. In this method, we find the relationship between the unstable modes and the fine meshes, and use this relationship to directly identify the source of instability. We then upfront eradicate the source of instability from the numerical system before performing an explicit time marching. The resultant simulation is absolutely stable for the given time step irrespective of how large it is. If the time step is chosen based on accuracy, the accuracy of the proposed method is also guaranteed. Numerical experiments have demonstrated a significant speedup of the proposed method over the conventional FDTD as well as state-of-the-art explicit and unconditionally stable methods.
Parameter Structure Identification Using the Level Set Methods

We introduce an inverse approach for efficiently identifying the spatial distribution of binary materials (say, a lower permeable material D embedded in the background material) using the level set method, given head measurements at some locations and times. No assumption has been made on the shape, size, and locations of these embedded zones, as well as the correlation structure and the proportion of two materials. By this method, instead of handling D directly, the lower permeable zones (or their boundaries) are represented by a level set function, which is negative in the interior of D, positive in its exterior, and zero on its boundary. Since a level set function uniquely defines the region of embedded zones, we manipulate D explicitly through evolution of its boundary. Our aim is to find a level set function such that the hydraulic head solved using the spatial distribution of lower permeable zones defined by this level set function matches the observed values. Because D is unknown, so is the level set function. In the method, we generate a sequence of level set functions such that the regions they defined approach D. We start from an initial level set function (i.e., an initial boundary of lower permeable zones) and sequentially propagate the boundary by solving a level set equation. The speed of propagation of boundary, which is an input to the level set equation, is related to the sensitivity of head to permeability and the error between the measured head and modeled head using the current time. A synthetic example shows that this method can locate those embedded zones efficiently.
Animal Models in Behavioral Neurovirology

Animal models of virus-induced behavioral disorders have several potential uses. Behavioral measures have been used as an index of CNS disturbance, to demonstrate similarities to specific human neuropsychiatric conditions, and to explore general features of virus-induced behavioral pathology.
The Hall Effect in Silicon Circuits

The purpose of this paper is to describe the technology of integration of Hall effect sensors with various signal conditioning circuits in monolithic silicon integrated circuits.
Voting Statistics and Presidential Coattails.

The coattail effect in presidential and congressional races was long supposed to show that the winning presidential candidate led his party to victory by adding votes to the ticket all along the line. The fact that the same party almost always won control of both houses of congress and usually also a majority of the governorships at stake at the time of a presidential victory made this a plausible theory.More recently, the sweeping nature of such an explanation has been challenged. The first criticism of the simple theory noted that even when a presidential candidate wins, congressional candidates in some districts lead the president. In these cases, presumably, the congressional candidates' coattails are more effective.A second criticism pointed to the paradox in the assumption that if a presidential candidate leads his party by a wide margin, he is an effective candidate for the party ticket. The greater the margin, presumably, the stronger are the presidential coattails. But large margins, on the contrary, must indicate that the presidential candidate has not been able to transfer all of his votes to the congressional ticket; and so it would seem that the attraction of his coattails is minimal if this margin is great. Thus the most significant symptom of the coattail process is straight ticket voting.
Mathematical Description of Heterogeneous Materials - Effect of the Branching Direction -

Abstract This paper elaborates on an approach to describe complex interconnected networks in two-dimensional space. The approach is based on the mathematical formulation of a travel process throughout such a structure according to a given branching algorithm. Analytical solutions are developed that allow to predict the global properties of these networks. Monte Carlo simulations are shown to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.
Convergence of naïve coders and participant report ratings of attachment to a former partner: When we should be me:

Using a Brunswik lens framework, this study examined whether lay observers could accurately detect participants’ attachment to a former partner following romantic breakup or divorce. We predicted t...
FDA's regulatory shift on tobacco control.

Abstract In July 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it wants to reduce the nicotine in cigarettes to make them less addictive. Also, it is delaying for several years a key regulation affecting cigars and e-cigarettes, including flavored vaping products that tend to appeal to younger consumers. Specifically, it postponed the requirement that such products be approved by the agency. Both actions are part of a comprehensive plan to eventually wean smokers off conventional cigarettes and steer them toward less harmful alternative forms of nicotine. With its new approach to the fight against smoking, the FDA has unquestionably made great strides toward more effectively addressing the prevalence of related deaths and diseases in the U.S. However, much important work must be undertaken before this ultimate goal can be accomplished. For instance, further research into long-term effects of e-cigarettes must be conducted before these products can truly be seen as safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes. Additionally, public education is necessary to inform smokers about the range of tobacco products available and the actual harms associated with their use. Finally, the agency might have to work alongside the powerful tobacco industry to minimize potential legal challenges and to convince businesses that a shift to low-nicotine products and e-cigarettes is best for their future success and for the health of the American citizenry.
Antibiotic Therapy Duration in US Adults With Sinusitis.

This study evaluates the duration of antibiotic therapy prescribed for US adults with sinusitis.
Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

About 30% of the general adult population and up to 50% of fibromyalgia patients are obese. Obesity in fibromyalgia has been linked to more severe symptom severity. Successful weight loss through surgical or non-surgical interventions significantly improves fibromyalgia symptoms. Risk for metabolic syndrome is over five times greater in women with fibromyalgia.
Evaluation of a Time Reversal Method with Dynamic Time Warping Matching Function for Human Fall Detection Using Structural Vibrations

Falls are one of the predominant concerns of the elderly living at home. Commercial systems, such as wearable pendants that are pressed in an emergency, provide a viable solution when a fall occurs. However, wearable systems have a low compliance, especially in patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Monitoring changes in the environment provides the possibility of reducing the compliance challenges for those patients. Computer vision techniques is an example of environmental monitoring. However, some patients might be concerned about their privacy when having cameras in their homes. Monitoring the vibrations of the patient’s dwelling is another alternative. Classification of the acceleration recorded signals becomes important to determine if a fall has occurred. This paper proposes the use of the Time Reversal Method (TRM) with Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) for classifying structural accelerations produced by different human actions. The potential classification is studied by releasing objects at different heights. A statistical study is performed to determine the importance of different factors to the application of the proposed technique. These factors are distance to the sensor, type of object used to impact the floor and intensity of the impact. Results indicate that the technique is most sensitive to the type of object, indicating the potential for human fall detection. Results also show interaction between the height in which the object was released and the type of object. Distance between the location of impact and the sensor is not an important factor but has an effect on the standard deviation of results.
CaBMA: case-based project management assistant

We are going to present an implementation of an AI system, CaBMA, built on top of a commercial project management tool, MS Project™. Project planning is a business process for successfully delivering one-of-a kind products and services under real-world time and resource constraints. CaBMA (for: Case-Based Project Management Assistant) provides the following functionalities: • It captures cases from project plans • It reuses captured cases to refine project plans and generate project plans from the scratch • It maintains consistency of pieces of a project plan obtained by case reuse • It refines the case base to cope with inconsistencies resulting from capturing cases over a period of time CaBMA adds a knowledge layer on top of MS Project™ to assist the user with his project management tasks.
Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Heart Development

Growth of the adult mammalian ventricular myocyte (cardiomyocyte) is the topic of considerable interest since heart muscle cells rapidly respond to increases in functional demands by an increase in cellular mass(l). Although the cardiomyocyte of the adult ventricle occupies up to 90% of the area of the left ventricle (LV) free wall, these cells comprise a unique population of a permanently post-mitotic, structurally and functionally delimited cell type that can only expand in width (primarily) and length to increasing functional demand on this vital organ. Therefore, the adult cardiomyocyte population is a static number of muscle cells that define the life-long structure and function of the ventricular portion of the heart. It is the function of the cardiomyocytes that can then be modulated by adjacent cell types (i.e., fibroblasts and endothelium), blood vessels (capillaries and arterioles) and neural/humoral stimuli in the mature organ.
Lactoferrin turnover in man.

1. The turnover of 125 I-labelled lactoferrin was measured in ten adults. Simultaneous organ radioactivity counting was performed. 2. Ferrokinetic studies were performed in three adults after the intravenous injection of [ 59 Fe]lactoferrin. 3. Lactoferrin was rapidly eliminated from the plasma with a mean fractional catabolic rate of 5·7/day. Apolactoferrin (one subject) was eliminated at a slower rate (fractional catabolic rate 1·22/day). 4. Of the administered 125 I label 99% was recovered in the urine, as free iodine, within the first 24 h. In the 59 Fe studies no appreciable activity was found in the urine. 5. Organ radioactivity counting showed that lactoferrin was rapidly taken up by the liver and spleen. In the 125 I studies the rapid excretion of free 125 I suggested catabolism at these sites. In the 59 Fe studies, the radioactivity persisted in the liver and spleen for several weeks and was slowly transferred to the bone marrow before appearing in circulating erythrocytes. 6. From the values of fractional catabolic rate, plasma lactoferrin, neutrophil lactoferrin and plasma volume, a ‘derived neutrophil turnover’ was calculated for each subject. The mean value was 8 × 10 8 neutrophils/day. This is about 1% the value obtained from the actual measurement of labelled cells. It is postulated that this ‘derived value’ represents only that portion of neutrophil turnover accounted for by intravascular senescence.
Using Model Checking Techniques for Symbolic Synthesis of Distributed Programs

Abstract : Given the non-determinism and race conditions in distributed programs, the ability to provide assurance about them is crucial. Our work focuses on incremental synthesis where we modify existing "fault-intolerant" distributed programs to add fault-tolerance. We concentrate on reducing the complexity of such synthesis using techniques ?symmetry and parallelism? from model checking. We apply these techniques in the context of deadlock resolution. In particular, incremental synthesis requires removal of certain program actions that could violate safety in the presence of faults and such removal may eliminate all outgoing transitions from some states rendering them to be deadlock states. We focus on reducing the complexity of resolving such deadlock states using symmetry and/or parallelism. We show that these approaches provide a significant speedup separately as well as together.
Transfemoral Carotid Artery Stents Should Be Used with Caution in Patients with Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis.

Background Significant national variation exists in defining the degree of stenosis that requires intervention in patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS). We aimed to evaluate the risk of perioperative and 2-year stroke and death in ACAS patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) for severe versus very severe stenosis in a contemporary population. Methods All patients undergoing CEA or transfemoral CAS for ACAS in the Vascular Quality Initiative (2005–2017) were included. Degree of stenosis was defined as the highest recorded on any imaging method. Univariable and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess risk of stroke, stroke/death, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days; and Cox proportional hazard, life tables, and Kaplan–Meier estimates were implemented to evaluate ipsilateral stroke and stroke/death at 2 years postoperatively in patients undergoing CEA versus CAS for severe (60–79%) and very severe (≥80%) stenosis adjusting for baseline characteristics. Results A total of 53,337 ACAS patients were examined (severe stenosis = 17,586; 33.%), of which 11.5% (n = 6,127) underwent CAS. The crude incidence of 30-day stroke/death was significantly higher for CAS versus CEA in the very severe stenosis group (2.0% vs. 1.2%, P Conclusions More than one-third of patients undergoing carotid revascularization for ACAS had 60–79% stenosis. Having lower degree of stenosis is not protective against stroke and death for either CEA or CAS at either 30 days or 2 years postoperatively. We believe that optimal medical management should be the first line in stroke prevention for asymptomatic patients with severe (60–79%) carotid stenosis.
Regulation of reactive oxygen species homoestasis by members of the peroxiredoxin family and c-Myc

1850 Peroxiredoxins (Prx’s) are a highly conserved family of proteins that are found in most organisms where they function primarily to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). The most ubiquitous member of the family is Prx1, which has also been shown to function as a tumor suppressor. This occurs as a result of Prx1’s ability to interact with c-Myc and suppress the latter’s transforming potential (Mu ZM, et al. J Biol Chem. 277:43175-43184). prx1-/- mice demonstrate a predisposition to tumorigenesis, presumably due to genomic instability mediated by increased intracellular ROS. Moreover, prx1-/- embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) show higher activity of c-Myc thus allowing them to be transformed by activated Ras oncogenes alone in comparison to wild type MEFs, which require both c-Myc + Ras. We previously demonstrated increased DNA damage in MEFs and other tissues of prx1-/- mice despite the fact that they show only modest increases in total levels of ROS levels compared to their wild-type counter parts (Egler RA, et al. Oncogene. 24:8038-8050). We postulated this to be consequential to a redistribution of the ROS within the cell. In fact, prx1-/- cells show a dramatic increase in nuclear ROS and reduced levels of cytoplasmic ROS, suggesting that another ROS scavenger may be active in prx1-/- cells. Consistent with this notion, examination of other Prx family members showed an approximate 5-10-fold up-regulation of Prx5 levels relative to prx1+/+ cells. Furthermore, depleting endogenous c-Myc in prx1-/- MEFs led to decreases in Prx5 and a subsequent increase in ROS levels. This study represents a heretofore unreported mechanism for the regulation one Prx family member by another, and identifies a novel means by which cells attempt to maintain ROS homeostasis when one of these family members is compromised.
Discovery of common chemical exposures across three continents using silicone wristbands

To assess differences and trends in personal chemical exposure, volunteers from 14 communities in Africa (Senegal, South Africa), North America (United States (U.S.)) and South America (Peru) wore 262 silicone wristbands. We analysed wristband extracts for 1530 unique chemicals, resulting in 400 860 chemical data points. The number of chemical detections ranged from 4 to 43 per wristband, with 191 different chemicals detected, and 1339 chemicals were not detected in any wristband. No two wristbands had identical chemical detections. We detected 13 potential endocrine disrupting chemicals in over 50% of all wristbands and found 36 chemicals in common between chemicals detected in three geographical wristband groups (Africa, North America and South America). U.S. children (less than or equal to 11 years) had the highest percentage of flame retardant detections compared with all other participants. Wristbands worn in Texas post-Hurricane Harvey had the highest mean number of chemical detections (28) compared with other study locations (10-25). Consumer product-related chemicals and phthalates were a high percentage of chemical detections across all study locations (36-53% and 18-42%, respectively). Chemical exposures varied among individuals; however, many individuals were exposed to similar chemical mixtures. Our exploratory investigation uncovered personal chemical exposure trends that can help prioritize certain mixtures and chemical classes for future studies.
Reply to Mileo et al.

To the Editor We wish to thank Drs Mileo and Moyano for their interest in our study[1][1] and for their detailed description of adductor canal anatomy.[2][2] We agree with the authors that variable definitions of the adductor canal have been presented over time, highlighted by the discrepancy
Association of Hospitalization and Mortality Among Patients Initiating Dialysis With Hemodialysis Facility Ownership and Acquisitions.

Importance Mergers and acquisitions among health care institutions are increasingly common, and dialysis markets have undergone several decades of mergers and acquisitions. Objective To examine the outcomes of hemodialysis facility acquisitions independent of associated changes in market competition resulting from acquisitions. Design, Setting, and Participants Cohort study using difference-in-differences (DID) analyses to compare changes in health outcomes over time among in-center US dialysis facilities that were acquired by a hemodialysis chain with facilities located nearby but not acquired. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models and negative binomial models with predicted marginal effects were developed to examine health outcomes, controlling for patient, facility, and geographic characteristics. All facility ownership types were examined together and stratified analyses were conducted of facilities that were independently owned and chain owned prior to acquisitions. The study was conducted from January 2001 to September 2015; 174 905 patients starting in-center dialysis in the 3 years before and following dialysis facility acquisitions were included. Data were analyzed from March 2017 to December 2018. Exposures Acquisition by a hemodialysis chain. Main Outcomes and Measures Twelve-month hazard of death and hospital days per patient-year were the primary outcomes. Results Of the 174 905 patients included in the study, 79 705 were women (45.6%), 24 409 (14.0%) were of Hispanic ethnicity, 61 815 (35.3%) were black, 105 272 (60.2%) were white, and 1247 (0.7%) were Native American. Mean (SD) age was 65 (15) years. Before acquisitions, adjusted mortality and hospitalization rates were 10% (95% CI, −16% to −5%) and 2.9 days per patient-year (95% CI, −3.8 to −2.0) lower, respectively, at independently owned facilities that were acquired compared with those that were not acquired, while hospitalization rates were 0.7 days (95% CI, −1.2 to −2.0) lower at chain-owned facilities that were acquired compared with those that were not acquired. In stratified analyses of independently owned facilities, mortality decreases were smaller at acquired (−8.4%; 95% CI, −14% to −25%) vs nonacquired (−20.3%; 95% CI, −25.8% to −14.3%) facilities (DIDP Conclusions and Relevance Acquisition of independently owned dialysis facilities by larger dialysis organizations was associated with slower decreases in mortality and hospitalization rates, as nonacquired facilities appeared to experience more rapid improvements in outcomes over time.
Electronic health record (EHR) training program identifies a new tool to quantify the EHR time burden and improves providers’ perceived control over their workload in the EHR

Objective To understand if providers who had additional electronic health record (EHR) training improved their satisfaction, decreased personal EHR-use time, and decreased turnaround time on tasks. Materials and Methods This pre-post study with no controls evaluated the impact of a supplemental EHR training program on a group of academic and community practice clinicians that previously had go-live group EHR training and 20 months experience using this EHR on self-reported data, calculated EHR time, and vendor-reported metrics. Results Providers self-reported significant improvements in their knowledge of efficiency tools in the EHR after training and doubled (significant) their preference list entries (mean pre = 38.1 [65.88], post = 63.5 [90.47], P < .01). Of the 7 EHR satisfaction variables, only 1 self-reported variable significantly improved after training: Control over my workload in the EHR (mean pre = 2.7 [0.96], post = 3.0 [1.04], P < .01). There was no significant decrease in their calculated EHR usage outside of clinic (mean pre = 0.39 [0.77] to post = 0.37 [0.48], P = .73). No significant difference was seen in turnaround time for patient calls (mean pre = 2.3 [2.06] days, post = 1.9 [1.76] days, P = .08) and results (mean before = 4.0 [2.79] days, after = 3.2 [2.33] days, P = .03). Discussion Multiple sources of data provide a holistic view of the provider experience in the EHR. This study suggests that individualized EHR training can improve the knowledge of EHR tools and satisfaction with their perceived control of EHR workload, however this did not translate into less Clinician Logged-In Outside Clinic (CLOC) time, a calculated metric, nor quicker turnaround on in box tasks. CLOC time emerged as a potential less-costly surrogate metric for provider satisfaction in EHR work than surveying clinicians. Further study is required to understand the cost-benefit of various interventions to decrease CLOC time. Conclusions This supplemental EHR training session, 20 months post go-live, where most participants elected to receive 2 or fewer sessions did significantly improve provider satisfaction with perceived control over their workload in the EHR, but it was not effective in decreasing EHR-use time outside of clinic. CLOC time, a calculated metric, could be a practical trackable surrogate for provider satisfaction (inverse correlation) with after-hours time spent in the EHR. Further study into interventions that decrease CLOC time and improve turnaround time to respond to inbox tasks are suggested next steps.
Accepting the Challenge—Moderate-Intensity Exercise with Individuals with Dementia: A Case Series:

Background and purpose:The global impact of dementia demands a response from researchers and clinicians to not only assist with prevention and a cure, but also to assist in the management of sympto...
Evaluation of Novel Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Acute Kidney Injury in Asphyxiated Full-Term Newborns: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the changes of serum cystatin C (Cys-C), beta 2-microglobulin (β2-MG), urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and alpha 1-microglobulin (α1-MG) in asphyxiated neonates, and to evaluate the value of combined detection of multiple biomarkers in the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in asphyxiated neonates. METHODS A total of 110 full-term asphyxiated and 30 healthy neonates were included. The asphyxia neonates were divided into AKI and non-AKI groups. Serum Cys-C, β2-MG, urine NGAL, and α1-MG were measured 24 h after birth. The diagnostic value of the biomarkers was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS There was no significant difference in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen among the control group, moderate asphyxia group, and severe asphyxia group at 24 h after birth. Significant differences were noticed in terms of serum Cys-C, β2-MG, urinary NGAL, and α1-MG among the 3 groups. Moreover, with the aggravation of asphyxia, the above indicators gradually increased. There were significant differences in the 4 indicators between the AKI and non-AKI groups (p < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve of the above indicators was 0.670, 0.689, 0.865, and 0.617, respectively (p < 0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis of asphyxia neonatorum AKI with the 4 indicators were 0.974 and 0.506, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Serum Cys-C, β2-MG, urine NGAL, and α1-MG are early specific indicators for the diagnosis of renal injury after neonatal asphyxia. Combined detection of these parameters could aid clinical evaluation of renal injury in asphyxiated neonates.
Transforming growth factor-beta gene polymorphisms and acute graft-versus-host disease.

e18013 Background: Despite allele level HLA matching, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Differences in minor hist...
Novel Biocartis Idylla™ cartridge-based assay for detection of microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer tissues.

Abstract Introduction Current methods to detect mismatch repair (MMR) status of colorectal cancer include immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular analysis of microsatellite instability (MSI) markers. In this study, we evaluated the performance of a novel Biocartis Idylla™ MSI cartridge-based assay. Methods The Biocartis Idylla™ MSI Assay determines MSI status using seven homopolymers frequently mutated in MSI-H cancers. We tested 47 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) colon cancer tissues previously characterized for MMR deficiency by IHC at our institution from 2013 to 2018. These included 23 MMR-proficient carcinomas with positive/retained nuclear staining of MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 proteins and 24 MMR-deficient carcinomas with loss of nuclear staining for at least one of these proteins. Five μm thick tissue sections were collected from FFPE tissue blocks for each tumor, and the tumor regions were macrodissected, run on the Idylla™ instrument and compared with the Promega panel result. In addition, we evaluated the precision and LOD by using a MSI-H commercially available control and MSS patient samples. A positive result was considered MSI-H when two or more mutations were detected. Results The overall percent agreement among MMR IHC, the Idylla™ and Promega MSI assays was 100% (47/47). The agreement was 100% in both IHC-determined MMR-proficient tumors (23/23) and IHC-determined MMR-deficient tumors (24/24), compared with molecular MSI assays. Conclusion The novel Biocartis Idylla™ cartridge-based MSI assay showed complete concordance with MMR IHC status and Promega MSI assay. These findings support the use of the Biocartis Idylla™ cartridge-based MSI assay as a rapid and cost-effective alternative method to determine MMR status.
Helicobacter pylori-Induced TLR9 Activation and Injury Are Associated With the Virulence-Associated Adhesin HopQ.

Helicobacter pylori is the strongest risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. The H. pylori cancer-associated cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI) encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) which translocates microbial DNA and activates TLR9; however, most cag-PAI + infected persons do not develop cancer and cag-PAI-independent regulators of pathogenesis, including strain-specific adhesins, remain understudied. We defined the relationships between H. pylori HopQ adhesin allelic type, gastric injury, and TLR9 activation. Type I hopQ alleles were significantly associated with magnitude of injury, cag-T4SS function, and TLR9 activation. Genetic deletion of hopQ significantly decreased H. pylori-induced TLR9 activation, implicating this adhesin in H. pylori-mediated disease.
Non-native Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus/javanensis (Zuiew, 1973/Lacepede, 1800), responses to low temperatures

Asian swamp eel, Monopterus albus/javanensis [Zuiew, 1973/Lacepede 1800], has been established in the southeastern USA since at least 1994, yet little is known about its ability to survive low winter temperatures. We use standard thermal methodologies to quantify low temperature responses and provide a detailed description of swamp eel reactions to cold temperatures. When exposed to chronic temperature decreases of 1.0 °C day-1, swamp eel ceased foraging at 15.0 °C, markedly diminished movements below 11.0 °C, and became incapacitated near 9.6 °C. During critical thermal minima trials, swamp eel exposed to acute temperature drops (0.25 °C min-1) tolerated temperatures as low as 6.2 °C. Swamp eel exhibited a moderate cold acclimation response, gaining 0.23 °C in cold tolerance for every 1 °C drop in acclimation temperature. Progressive time-series critical thermal minimum temperatures (CTmin) estimates for eel acclimated to 20.5 °C followed by an acute temperature decrease to 16.0 °C, revealed that cold acclimation may occur in only 8 days. Fringe populations of swamp eel in their native range periodically experience colder winter temperatures, which may explain the ability of introduced populations to survive winter cold fronts in Florida. Understanding Asian swamp eel acute and chronic thermal limits may be useful in assessing dispersal risk and range expansion in the southeastern USA.
Reducing COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Applying Blockchain in Vaccination Rollout Management

Goal: Because a fast vaccination rollout against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is critical to restore daily life and avoid virus mutations, it is tempting to have a relaxed vaccination-administration management system. However, a rigorous management system can support the enforcement of preventive measures, and in turn, reduce incidence and deaths. Here, we model a trustable and reliable management system based on blockchain for vaccine distribution by extending the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovery (SEIR) model. The model includes prevention measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, vaccination rate, and vaccination efficiency. It also considers negative social behavior, such as violations of social distance and attempts of using illegitimate vaccination proofs. By evaluating the model, we show that the proposed system can reduce up to 2.5 million cases and half a million deaths in the most demanding scenarios.
The Circular Lens of Exile: (Re)Founding the Chilean Identity Through Film

The study of exile cinema, its works and its directors, is a good way to approach and understand how geographical displacement and cultural heterogeneity originated by Chilean exile experiences are intimately woven with contemporary perspectives on identity and nation. As an essential task that parallels the importance of continuing to recover and promote productions filmed during exile, there should also be more critical studies of these works and their filmmakers; studies that shouldn’t only focus on the work of recognized male directors. In addition, this study asks not just for the recovery of these works, but for wide national accessibility to them. This article aims to show how films directed by exiled women such as Angelina Vazquez deserve more visibility and recognition.
New Directions with Carbogenic Molecular Sieve Materials

Carbogenic molecular sieves (CMS) have found commercial application, especially in separation of nitrogen from air.1-4 This application demonstrates the high degree of size selectivity that the CMS materials can provide, since the difference between the kinetic diameters of oxygen and nitrogen is only 0.2 angstroms. Despite their utility, size discrimination properties, and close similarity to other carbon materials used routinely as support media for catalytic metals, rather little is known about the underlying structures of CMS.5 Polymer-derived CMS make excellent materials for basic studies aimed at elucidating the relationships between microand nanostructures, and macroscopic properties and behavior. Very little is understood about the fundamental processes of polymer degradation as they relate to the subsequent thermal evolution of carbogenic microand nanostructures, especially surprising since these transformations lead to measurable changes in adsorptive and catalytic properties. It is the aim of this paper to review some of the more recent work on polymer-derived CMS with special attention paid to the chemical and physical changes that accompany thermal transformations of CMS. The CMS materials formed at temperatures of 400 to 800°C already show the onset of structures detected with high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) which show high degrees of curvature. This curvature is more than reminiscent of that evident in fullerene carbons. The analogies between these two apparently different kinds of carbon are striking enough to suggest that there are microstructural features that may be common to both.
Earth systems engineering and management.

Imagine that we could let the world's economy continue to grow, bring the disadvantaged classes up from poverty and at the same time not threaten the atmosphere or global ecosystems with unprecedented build-up of greenhouse gases and the projected climatic risks of such growth. Earth systems engineering and management may just be such a panacea, some have suggested. But could we anticipate the costs or ever truly predict the consequences?
A Closing Keynote: A Comment on Mass Incarceration in the United States

It is my privilege to be able to make the closing keynote for this excellent symposium. In doing so, I acknowledge the comprehensive presentations that have been made, and I do not pretend to add to the issues already covered. Rather, let me take this opportunity to discuss some of the overarching themes that I see as critical to any progressive change in the criminal justice system. This symposium has focused on sentencing and punishment, practices that come at the end of a much larger and complex system. In examining what works and what does not work at this stage, we should consider the enormous implications of the DNA revolution. As we have seen over the past fifteen years, as a result of over 225 DNA exonerations of persons convicted of the most serious crimes, the major methods of proof that we have used for years to convict criminal defendants—confessions, eyewitness identifications, jailhouse informants, forensic evidence—turn out to be much more questionable than even the most cynical of us thought they were before. In other words, there is no certainty in the world of criminal justice, and we ought to approach sentencing and punishment issues with a sense of humility and skepticism. As we distill the sentencing and punishment issues, we are confronted with a relatively new phenomenon in America: the era of mass incarceration. Over the last thirty-five years there has been a virtual explosion in the nation’s prison population. In coming to terms with the causes and consequences of this development, I am reminded of the famous speech of President Eisenhower as he left the White House in 1960. He prophetically warned about the dangers of