cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Duplex Scanning in Diagnosis of Renovascular Hypertension

Ultrasonic duplex scanning can be used as a noninvasive method for the detection and quantification of the degree of renal artery stenosis. The method is useful for screening patients with hypertension that cannot be controlled by medical means. It can also serve as a method of following the results of intervention via surgery or angioplasty.
Platelet refractoriness and alloimmunization.

The two major methods of modifying donor blood products to prevent alloimmunization are leukocyte reduction or ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. Two studies have suggested that leukocyte reduction to levels <5 x 106 may be required to prevent alloantibody production. Three prospective, randomized transfusion trials demonstrated a statistically significant (P <0.05) decrease in both platelet refractoriness and lymphocytotoxic antibody production in patients who received leukocyte-reduced blood components as compared to those who received standard unmodified blood products. The results of the Trial to Reduce Alloimmunization to Platelets (TRAP trial) further confirm the potential beneficial effects of leukocyte-reduced and UVB-irradiated blood products in preventing alloimmune platelet refractoriness. Five hundred thirty antibody-negative patients undergoing induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia were randomly assigned to receive either unmodified platelet concentrates, filtered leukocyte-reduced platelet concentrates, UVB-irradiated platelet concentrates, or filtered leukocyte-reduced platelets obtained by apheresis. Patients who received modified platelet components had statistically significantly lower rates of both alloimmune platelet refractoriness and lymphocytotoxic antibodies than did patients who received unmodified platelet components. There were no differences in any study endpoints among patients who received any of the three modified platelet components. The investigators concluded that leukocyte-reduced and UVB-irradiated platelet components were equally effective in preventing alloimmune-mediated platelet refractoriness; platelets obtained by apheresis provided no additional benefit.
Dynamic Features in the Mössbauer Spectra of Heme Proteins

We report Mossbauer studies of the mean square displacements 〈x2(T)〉, the mean square velocities, 〈v 2(T)〉, and the quadruple splitting ∆E Q (T) of heme proteins that probe the motions at the iron active center. Accurate measurements of the recoilless fraction f(T), the isomer shift δ(T) and the quadrupole splitting ∆E Q (T) on 57Fe-enriched oxy- and carbon monoxy-myoglobin (MbO2 and MbCO) in frozen aqueous solution have led to the following conclusions: (i) A harmonic model \(\left\langle {x^2 } \right\rangle = \rlap{--} h/(6m)\sum {(\beta _i^2 /\omega _i } )\) ctanh (ħω i /2k B T) represents 〈x 2〉 quite well up to 180K with a single mode, ω ~25cm -1. The frequency of this vibration is in the range of the delocalized low-frequency modes predicted for globular proteins [1]. The larger contribution of this mode in MbCO than in MbO2, \(\beta _i^2 /3 \simeq 0.29\) vs . ~ 0.13, is consistent with a stronger coupling to the iron in MbCO. (ii) Assuming that the temperature dependence ot δ(T) is entirely due to the second order Doppler shift a harmonic model for 〈v 2(T)〉 fits the data well up to 250K with a single mode, ω ~ 220cm -1 for MbO2 and ω ~ 190cm -1 for MbCO. The frequencies of these vibrations are similar to those reported for the iron-histidine stretching mode in Mb [2].
Evaluation of protective clothing systems using manikins

Compared to typical apparel, protective garments are made with specialized materials, innovative fastening systems, and unique designs. Protective clothing systems are often complex and require user training to don and doff them correctly. Therefore, life-size manikins are being used increasingly in standard test methods to evaluate the performance of protective clothing systems. Manikins have been used to measure the flame and heat protection provided by different types of protective clothing and the integrity of chemical suits to leaks. Manikins have also been used to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of personal cooling systems worn under protective garments. This chapter discusses the use of manikins to evaluate the heat transfer properties of protective clothing systems. Protective clothing systems are usually designed to protect the wearer from hazards in the environment. The development or selection of a particular type of protective clothing depends upon many factors, some of which may be affected by standards. Thermal manikins will continue to be used to measure the thermal resistance and evaporative resistance of clothing systems. They are a valuable tool in the development of protective clothing systems. They can be used to evaluate protective clothing under steady-state and transient conditions and predict the comfort of the wearer.
Case XVI: Arm Pain

A 41-year-old male was a victim of a severe motorcycle accident 17 years ago with right brachial plexus avulsion. He complains of severe pain in the right arm. His pain level is 10/10 on the VAS. The pain is crushing and burning. It is there all the time but fluctuates in severity. It is partially improved with morphine and pregabalin. He has had a cervical spinal cord stimulator for 5 years with limited success. Functionally, he has done very well after double gracilis free muscle flap. PMH significant for arthritis, plating for fractures of the right forearm, appendectomy, and hernia repair. FH positive for a grandmother with heart disease, prostate cancer in the father, diabetes in the mother, and a sister with lung cancer. Socially, he has smoked a pack a day of cigarettes for 30 years. On examination, he has no Horner’s syndrome, elbow flexion 4+, middle finger extension 4, and otherwise 0/5 in the remaining muscle groups of the right arm; there is no light touch sensation from C5 to T1 on the right.
Vectored immunoprophylaxis: an emerging adjunct to traditional vaccination.

The successful development of effective vaccines has been elusive for many of the world’s most important infectious diseases. Additionally, much of the population, such as the aged or immunocompromised, are unable to mount an effective immunologic response for existing vaccines. Vectored Immunoprophylaxis (VIP) is a novel approach designed to address these challenges. Rather than utilizing an antigen to trigger a response from the host’s immune system as is normally done with traditional vaccines, VIP genetically engineers the production of tailored antibodies from non-hematopoietic cells, bypassing the humoral immune system. Direct administration of genes encoding for neutralizing antibodies has proven to be effective in both preventing and treating several infectious diseases in animal models. While, a significant amount of work has focused on HIV, including an ongoing clinical trial, the approach has also been shown to be effective for malaria, dengue, hepatitis C, influenza, and more. In addition to presenting itself as a potentially efficient approach to solving long-standing vaccine challenges, the approach may be the best, if not only, method to vaccinate immunocompromised individuals. Many issues still need to be addressed, including which tissue(s) makes the most suitable platform, which vector(s) are most efficient at transducing the platform tissue used to secrete the antibodies, and what are the long-term effects of such a treatment. Here we provide a brief overview of this approach, and its potential application in treating some of the world’s most intractable infectious diseases.
The association between caudal anesthesia and increased risk of postoperative surgical complications in boys undergoing hypospadias repair.

Introduction Recent reports have suggested that caudal anesthesia may be associated with an increased risk of postoperative surgical complications. We examined our experience with caudal anesthesia in hypospadias repair to evaluate for increased risk of urethrocutaneous fistula or glanular dehiscence. Methods All hypospadias repairs performed by a single surgeon in 2001–2014 were reviewed. Staged or revision surgeries were excluded. Patient age, weight, hypospadias severity, surgery duration, month and year of surgery, caudal anesthesia use, and postoperative complications were recorded. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed. Results We identified 395 single-stage primary hypospadias repairs. Mean age was 15.6 months; 326 patients had distal (83%) and 69 had proximal (17%) hypospadias. Caudal anesthetics were used in 230 (58%) cases; 165 patients (42%) underwent local penile block at the discretion of the surgeon and/or anesthesiologist. Complications of urethrocutaneous fistula or glanular deshiscence occurred in 22 patients (5.6%) and were associated with caudal anesthetic use (OR 16.5, 95% CI 2.2–123.8, P = 0.007), proximal hypospadias (OR 8.2, 95% CI 3.3–20.0, P < 0.001), increased surgical duration (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01–1.02, P < 0.001), and earlier year of practice (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2–7.9, P = 0.03 for trend). After adjusting for confounding variables via multivariable logistic regression, both caudal anesthetic use (OR 13.4, 95% CI 1.8–101.8, P = 0.01) and proximal hypospadias (OR 6.8, 95% CI 2.7–16.9, P < 0.001) remained highly associated with postoperative complications. Conclusions In our experience, caudal anesthesia was associated with an over 13-fold increase in the odds of developing postoperative surgical complications in boys undergoing hypospadias repair even after adjusting for urethral meatus location. Until further investigation occurs, clinicians should carefully consider the use of caudal anesthesia for children undergoing hypospadias repair.
Constraining SWAT Calibration with Remotely Sensed Evapotranspiration Data

Historically, many watershed studies have been based on using the streamflow flux, typically from a single gauge at the basin's outlet, to support calibration. In this setting, there is great potential for equifinality of parameters during the optimization process, especially for parameters that are not directly related to streamflow. Therefore, some of the optimal parameter values achieved during the autocalibration process may be physically unrealistic. In recent decades a vast array of data from land surface models and remote sensing platforms can help to constrain hydrologic fluxes such as evapotranspiration (ET). While the spatial resolution of these ancillary datasets varies, the continuous spatial coverage of these gridded datasets provides flux measurements across the entire basin, in stark contrast to point-based streamflow data. This study uses Global Land Evaporation: the Amsterdam Model data to constrain Soil and Water Assessment Tool parameter values associated with ET to a more physically realistic range. The study area is the Little Washita River Experimental Watershed, in southern Oklahoma. Traditional objective metrics such as the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients record no performance improvement after application of this method. However, there is a dramatic increase in the number of days with receding flow where simulations match observed streamflow.
Exposure to and Content of Marijuana Product Reviews

Many individuals now seek out product reviews in order to make an informed decision prior to making a purchase. In this study, we investigate consumers’ exposure to and content within product reviews about marijuana because of their potential to shape marijuana purchasing decisions. The terms “weed review,” “marijuana review,” and “cannabis review” were searched on YouTube on June 10–11, 2015; the team viewed and coded the content of 83 product review videos about marijuana. In addition, we surveyed young adult (18–34 years old) current (past month) marijuana users (n = 742) from across the USA online to assess exposure to product reviews about marijuana and associations with socio-demographic characteristics and marijuana use behaviors. In our content analysis of videos, we observed that the reviewers tended to consume marijuana during the video and often shared personal, favorable experiences towards the marijuana they ingested (e.g., became as high as possible or experienced positive effects on physical and mental health). Most videos normalized marijuana use and could be easily accessed by underage youth. About one third (34%) of the survey participants viewed/sought a product review about marijuana in the past 30 days. In a multivariable logistic regression model, living in a state where recreational use is legal or using multiple forms of marijuana was associated with increased odds of viewing/seeking marijuana reviews. Prevention messages should counter product reviews about marijuana that tend to normalize and promote marijuana use given that they are more readily viewed by individuals who are increasingly susceptible to marijuana’s potential harms.
Electronic Transport and Ferroelectric Switching in Ion‐Bombarded, Defect‐Engineered BiFeO3 Thin Films

Author(s): Saremi, S; Xu, R; Dedon, LR; Gao, R; Ghosh, A; Dasgupta, A; Martin, LW | Abstract: Despite continued interest in the multiferroic BiFeO3 for a diverse range of applications, use of this material is limited by its poor electrical leakage. This work demonstrates some of the most resistive BiFeO3 thin films reported to date via defect engineering achieved via high-energy ion bombardment. High leakage in as-grown BiFeO3 thin films is shown to be due to the presence of moderately shallow isolated trap states, which form during growth. Ion bombardment is shown to be an effective way to reduce this free carrier transport (by up to ≈4 orders of magnitude) by trapping the charge carriers in bombardment-induced, deep-lying defect complexes and clusters. The ion bombardment is also found to give rise to an increased resistance to switching as a result of an increase in defect concentration. This study demonstrates a systematic ion-dose-dependent increase in the coercivity, extension of the defect-related creep regime, increase in the pinning activation energy, decrease in the switching speed, and broadening of the field distribution of switching. Ultimately, the use of such defect-engineering routes to control materials will require identification of an optimum range of ion dosage to achieve maximum enhancement in resistivity with minimum impact on ferroelectric switching.
African American Perceptions about Crime in Cincinnati, Ohio since the 2001 Riots: Over a Decade Later

Introduction: In 1994, the city of Cincinnati, Ohio was named the most livable city in America by Places Rated Almanac (Clark, 1993). Couched within this distinction is the variance of perceived categorizations as the building blocks of a utopian-esque society such as a robust job market, low cost of living, affordable housing, highly educated populous, high arts and recreation and low crime rates. What happened within under a decade that transformed the national perception of the queen city from the most livable city in 1994 to the most recent and largest urban hot bed of racial and civil unrest since the Los Angeles riots? However, no study has explicitly assessed the perceptions of crime in Cincinnati, Ohio. The purpose of this study is to assess perceptions about crime in the local community since the 2001 Cincinnati riots. Methods: We surveyed 71 participants as part of a cross-sectional study designed to assess perception of crime in Cincinnati, Ohio. We conducted a questionnaire of a random sample of African American residents in Cincinnati, Ohio. The city of Cincinnati was chosen because of its large African American community and in part due to its long lasting history of police violence and riots in the African American community. Analyses: Most participants felt the level of crime in Cincinnati, Ohio was a very serious problem. However, a large majority of both males (22.6%) and females (10%) believed crime in Cincinnati, Ohio was somewhat serious. The remaining respondents perceived crime in Cincinnati as serious (males: 16.1%, females: 12.5%) or not at all serious (males 3.2%, females: 0%). A larger portion of the males (54.8%) than females (40%) responded that in the last 3- year’s crime in Cincinnati, Ohio relatively stayed the same. Conclusion: The results indicate that there was little difference in African American perceptions of violence in Cincinnati in 2001 and 11 years later in 2012. Most people felt that violence in Cincinnati is a very serious problem, with more than half of the respondents indicating that in the past 3 years violence in Cincinnati stayed the same. More importantly, these findings emphasize that the riots in Cincinnati is not a central event in the African American community, instead for some, it represents another example of why violence always seem to exist and there is a low morale among the African American community and police officers.
Designing effective soldier-robot teams in complex environments: training, interfaces, and individual differences

Extensive US Army programs are being pursued to increase the effectiveness of unmanned vehicles for diverse missions during future combat. The following paper identified 23 human-robot interaction (HRI) guidelines related to interface design, procedural issues, individual differences and training implications based on three HRI research programs. The programs range from simulation experiments that investigated robot control in a multitasking environment from a mounted combat vehicle, to reconnaissance missions in a miniature Iraqi city that focused on Soldier-robot teaming relationships, to field studies at Ft. Benning that examined interface design issues for Soldiers supervising or controlling small robots.
Mentoring as a Strategy for Facilitating Learning: Protégé and Mentor Perspectives

Mentoring is an important learning experience for adults. The current chapter provides an overview of learning in academic and workplace mentoring, including an original review of published research on the topic. A total of 48 studies were identified that examined learning in mentoring relationships from the perspective of the protege and/or the mentor. This literature is reviewed and a narrative summary of the findings are provided. Building on this narrative review, and integrating various established theories of learning and development, we then propose an integrative framework which depicts how, why, and under what conditions mentoring relates to learning. We close by offering and agenda for future research on learning in mentoring to guide future scholarship on learning in mentoring relationships.
Solution of the Horizon and Flatness Problem in Cosmology without Inflation

It is shown that the hypothesis of an inflationary universe to solve the horizon and flatness problem can be avoided by Lorentzian relativity assuming the existence of a preferred reference system at rest with the zero point vacuum energy cut off at the Planck energy. Under this assumption there will be a “firewall” at the event horizon of an expanding universe where all matter disintegrates into radiation having everywhere the Unruh black body radiation temperature. The replacement of the Einsteinian relativity by the Lorentzian relativity to solve the problem of quantum gravity was suggested to the author by Heisenberg.
In vitro shoot-tip grafting improves recovery of cotton plants from culture

A rapid in vitro shoot-tip grafting (STG) technique was adapted to increase recovery of intact cotton plants from shoots developed in culture. Induction of root organogenesis in cotton shoots is genotype dependent and unreliable. The resulting loss of regeneration potential due to failure to form roots can vary from 30 to 80% according to genotype and represents a significant bottleneck in the overall recovery of plants from culture. If the non-rooting shoots are transgenic, the loss in regenerated plant material can be substantial. In vitro grafting of cotton shoots to seedling rootstock proved to be a simple and reliable method allowing 90–100% recovery of non-rooting shoots from culture. Success of any given graft was directly related to scion size (0.8–1.0 cm) and age (14–35 days) of the seedling rootstock. The method appeared to be genotype independent, and varietal differences between rootstock and scion did not effect the rate of plant recovery from culture.
QoS-enabled distributed mutual exclusion in public clouds

Popular public cloud infrastructures tend to feature centralized, mutual exclusion models for distributed resources, such as file systems. The result of using such centralized solutions in the Google File System (GFS), for instance, reduces scalability, increases latency, creates a single point of failure, and tightly couples applications with the underlying services. In addition to these quality-of-service (QoS) and design problems, the GFS methodology does not support generic priority preference or pay-differentiated services for cloud applications, which public cloud providers may require under heavy loads. This paper presents a distributed mutual exclusion algorithm called Prioritizable Adaptive Distributed Mutual Exclusion (PADME) that we designed to meet the need for differentiated services between applications for file systems and other shared resources in a public cloud. We analyze the fault tolerance and performance of PADME and show how it helps cloud infrastructure providers expose differentiated, reliable services that scale. Results of experiments with a prototype of PADME indicate that it supports service differentiation by providing priority preference to cloud applications, while also ensuring high throughput.
On the Convergence of Random Convex Sets

The study of the convergence of random convex sets is motivated by various applications in statistics [1, 2] probability [3, 4] as well as by many approximation problems in stochastic optimization, see for example [5, 6, 7, 8]. More specifically one seeks to find conditions to ensure the convergence in distribution, in probability or almost everywhere of the optimal value of a sequence of problems { P ν , ν ∈ ℵ} to the optimal value of a problem P when the constraints and the objective function of the problems P ν converge in some probabilistic sense to the constraints and the objective function of P. Here, we only consider the convex case, i.e. when P and the P ν can be expressed as the minimization of convex functionals (with values in the extended reals). More precisely, let (Ξ, F) be a measure space and {σ ν , ν ∈ ℵ} a sequence of probability measures “converging” to a probability measure σ, all defined on (Ξ, F). Let f be a functional with domain Ξ×E with values in ℛ ∪{ + ∞} where E is a finite dimensional Euclidean space.
Teaching Video NeuroImages: Opsoclonus in anti-DPPX encephalitis.

A 49-year-old man presented with a 15-month history of binocular diplopia and oscillopsia and a 6-month history of headaches, memory loss, anorexia, myalgias, and unintentional 105-pound weight loss without diarrhea. Neuro-ophthalmic assessment revealed episodic bursts of opsoclonus, intermittent jerk nystagmus, saccadic pursuit, and slowed and dysmetric saccades, and he was unable to maintain fixation (video 1). Anti-DPPX antibodies were positive in the CSF. He was treated with IV methylprednisolone, plasmapheresis, and rituximab, and his ocular symptoms resolved several months after treatment. Opsoclonus is an ocular manifestation of anti-DPPX encephalitis, which may also cause nystagmus, skew deviation, and saccadic pursuit due to DPPX expression in the cerebellum.1,2
An Analytical Model for Virtual Cut-Through Routing

An analytical model of a network with 2-dim torus topology and virtual cut-through routing has been considered in order to find out and analyze certain relationships between network parameters, load and performance. An exact expression for the saturation point (message generation rate at which network saturates) and expressions for the latency as a function of the message generation rate under the assumptions of the mean field theory have been obtained. It has been found that the saturation point is inversely proportional to the message length and to the distance between the source and destination. The theoretical results are in a good agreement with small-scale simulation experiments.
Probing the reversibility and kinetics of Li+ during SEI formation and (de)intercalation on edge plane graphite using ion-sensitive scanning electrochemical microscopy.

Ions at battery interfaces participate in both the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and the subsequent energy storage mechanism. However, few in situ methods can directly track interfacial Li+ dynamics. Herein, we report on scanning electrochemical microscopy with Li+ sensitive probes for its in situ, localized tracking during SEI formation and intercalation. We followed the potential-dependent reactivity of edge plane graphite influenced by the interfacial consumption of Li+ by competing processes. Cycling in the SEI formation region revealed reversible ionic processes ascribed to surface redox, as well as irreversible SEI formation. Cycling at more negative potentials activated reversible (de)intercalation. Modeling the ion-sensitive probe response yielded Li+ intercalation rate constants between 10−4 to 10−5 cm s−1. Our studies allow decoupling of charge-transfer steps at complex battery interfaces and create opportunities for interrogating reactivity at individual sites.
Stent Thrombosis During TAVR.

An 84-year-old man underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe aortic stenosis. Nine years before undergoing TAVR, he had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed, wherein 2 paclitaxel-eluting stents were implanted in the left anterior descending coronary artery and
Weekend Operation and Outcomes of Patients Admitted for Nonelective Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Background The "weekend effect" is a purported phenomenon whereby patients admitted for time-sensitive medical and surgical conditions on a weekend suffer worse outcomes than those admitted on a weekday. There are limited data on the weekend effect for nonelective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods We studied outcomes for weekend vs weekday operations for all adult patients in the 2013 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) undergoing nonelective CABG. Results Of 101,510 patients undergoing nonelective CABG, 12,795 patients (12.6%) underwent CABG on the day of admission (n = 1230 for weekend and 11,565 for weekday admission, respectively). Patients undergoing surgical procedures on a weekend were more likely to have a diagnosis of ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (47.2% vs 20.2%, P Conclusions Patients undergoing CABG on a weekend had higher crude mortality but similar risk-adjusted mortality compared with their weekday counterparts. Some of the excess mortality observed for weekend operations is likely attributable to a sicker cohort of patients undergoing CABG on the weekend.
Use of QSARs to Promote More Cost-Effective Use of Chemical Monitoring Resources. 1. Screening Industrial Chemicals and Pesticides, Direct Food Additives, Indirect Food Additives and Pharmaceuticals for Biodegradation, Bioconcentration and Aquatic Toxicity Potential

Monitoring studies are expensive to conduct. To promote more cost-effective use of chemical monitoring resources, quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs) are proposed as methods to identify chemicals that could be found in, and cause adverse effects to, organisms in water, sediment and soil from the Great Lakes basin. QSARs were used to predict the biodegradation, bioconcentration and aquatic toxicity potential of 2697 industrial chemicals and pesticides, 1146 direct food additives, 967 indirect food additives and 282 pharmaceuticals that could be released to the Great Lakes basin. The QSARs identified 47 industrial chemicals and pesticides, 20 direct food additives, 13 indirect food additives and 7 pharmaceuticals with bioconcentration or aquatic toxicity potential or potential to not biodegrade readily. Most of these chemicals were predicted to partition to sediments. Using QSARs to identify chemicals with potential to persist, bioconcentrate or partition to sediments will promote more cost-effective use of chemical monitoring resources by allowing researchers to focus their analytical techniques on measuring chemicals predicted to persist in water or soil, bioconcentrate in fish or partition to sediments so that the effects of these chemicals can be assessed on indigenous organisms.
Understanding the Economic Impact of COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders: A Synthetic Control Analysis

There is an ongoing debate in the U.S. regarding the costs and benefits associated with statewide stay-at-home orders that were enacted in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many opponents of such orders claim that the economic cost, in terms of higher unemployment, may in-fact outweigh the health benefits of such policies. In this paper, we use synthetic control analysis to determine the impact of stay-at-home orders on weekly new jobless claims. Our analysis reveals that while new jobless claims spike following stay-at-home orders, similar spikes, albeit of a lower magnitude, are also observed within our synthetic control. This finding suggests that other factors outside of the policy, such as the spread of the virus and a general waning of consumer confidence, contribute significantly to the observed increase in new jobless claims.
Malicious Spam Distribution: A Routine Activities Approach

The distribution of malicious spam occurs in substantial numbers around the globe and can function as a precursor to serious forms of cybercrime. Yet to date, no known study has employed criminolog...
Fetal Micrognathia and Airway Establishment on Placental Support.

* Abbreviations: ETT: : endotracheal tube EXIT: : ex utero intrapartum treatment POPS: : procedure on placental support A 36-year-old gravida 3, para 2-0-0-2 pregnant woman was referred to our fetal care center at 20 5/7 weeks’ gestation because of fetal micrognathia, lagging femur length, and a single umbilical artery. Her pertinent medical and surgical histories included asthma and a prior cesarean section. The pregnancy was the product of in vitro fertilization. Preimplantation genetic screening demonstrated an embryo with a normal karyotype. Her medications included fluticasone propionate/salmeterol, montelukast, lansoprazole, and prenatal vitamins. Family history revealed 2 paternal female first cousins once removed with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome and seizure disorder related to sodium channelopathy. Her standard prenatal screening results were unremarkable. Evaluation at our fetal care center included the following: Figure 1. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging scan obtained at 20 weeks’ gestation. A. The abnormal facial profile with severe micrognathia. B. Facial profile; white arrow indicates glossoptosis. The conglomeration of these fetal findings is consistent with a diagnosis of Pierre Robin sequence. Pierre Robin sequence occurs …
Automatic Multimodal Heart Disease Classification using Phonocardiogram Signal

Heart diseases are considered the leading cause of death globally. Early diagnosis of disease may help give appropriate prescribing medicines, which may help control and reduce conditions. The current clinical diagnosis methods such as Electrocardiograms, computed tomography, echocardiogram, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, etc. provide valuable information for diagnosis and treatment. However, these techniques are time-intensive, operator-dependent, and expensive. In this paper, we propose a low-cost solution real-time solution to diagnose heart diseases. We suggest an integrated automatic multimodal heart disease classification (AMHDC) system using the Phonocardiogram (PCG) signal. For this purpose, first, we have developed an advanced fusion method using pre-processing techniques such as Data Normalization and Data Augmentation. Secondly, we have extracted the spectrograms from heart sound and used them as features and images for signal and image processing. Finally, we created a real-time integrated Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model for high-performance heart disease classification. The results show our model outperformed the state-of-art research, whose accuracy is 89.7%., while our model reported accuracy of 93% for audio and 96% for image-based approach.
Rethinking Paul: Protestant Theology and Pauline Exegesis

In this book, Edwin van Driel analyzes contemporary Pauline exegesis and its implications for Protestant theology. Over the last several decades, scholars have offered fresh interpretations of the apostle, including the New Perspective on and the apocalyptic reading of Paul. Van Driel juxtaposes these proposals with traditional Protestant understandings of Paul and argues that the crucial difference between these two readings lies not in how one understands isolated Pauline notions but in different assumed narrative substructures of the apostle's writings. He explores how these new exegetical proposals deepen, broaden, enrich, and challenge traditional Protestant theological paradigms, as well as how they are situated alongside current contextual conversations on theological anthropology, social imagination, and the church's mission. Van Driel's volume opens up new avenues for interdisciplinary exploration and cooperation between biblical scholarship and theology.
Teleconferencing for Virtual Visiting Professors and Virtual Grand Rounds.

SUMMARY: The 2020 global pandemic related to the coronavirus has led to unprecedented interruptions in typical patient care and resident education. Teleconferencing software was deployed by many institutions to comply with quarantine and social-distancing regulations. To supplement the loss of clinical experience for trainees, the authors implemented a novel virtual-educational programming using virtual visiting professors and virtual grand rounds. The authors describe the two different formats and advantages such as access to multiple speakers on diverse, innovative topics and decreased financial burdens to the host program. However, the authors do acknowledge some disadvantages from lack of face-to-face social interaction/networking and the need to consider time-zone differences. Both new programs were embraced by trainees at the authors' own institution and residents/medical students across the United States and Canada and around the world. The authors believe teleconferencing should be permanently incorporated into future educational opportunities for plastic surgeons, as it provides easy access to high-quality information.
The Virtual Homeroom: Utility and Benefits of Small Group Online Learning in the COVID-19 Era.

Abstract Objective During COVID-19, Harvard Medical School pivoted to online learning. A large student cohort took a completely virtual Radiology clerkship with daily programming including virtual small group teaching sessions or “homerooms.” Materials and methods One hundred and eleven medical students were divided into 12 virtual small group sessions which emphasized foundational concepts. Uniform teaching materials were used across all homerooms in order to deepen understanding and allow insight into the working methods of radiologists. Students evaluated the homeroom learning and teachers for utility and benefit to their educational experience. Results Most students (93%) felt the homerooms provided an educational benefit and reinforced topics studied (77%). Most students (84%) felt the leaders created an environment conducive to learning. Despite being virtual, students were able to form interpersonal connections with the homeroom leaders. Conclusions Incorporating virtual small group learning can be a valuable component of a virtual or hybrid Radiology clerkship, solidifying foundational concepts with the homeroom leaders playing a major role. While developed by necessity due to COVID-19, virtual small group learning with engaged leaders is an educational strategy whose benefit can continue even as there is return to in-person learning.
Characteristics of Flow Over a Sill During Deep Water Renewal

Puget Sound is a fjord-like estuary connecting through Admiralty Inlet and Deception Pass to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and then to the Pacific Ocean (Figure 1). About 98% of the tidal prism flows through Admiralty Inlet over a sill of about 64 m depth near Port Townsend. The main basin has depths exceeding 200 m and extends south about 60 km from the major junction with Admiralty Inlet near Possession Point to The Narrows, a constriction of about 44 m sill depth separating a southern basin (Figure 2). Within the main basin, the 183-m contour deliniates a deeper section approximately 50 km long and 3–5 km wide. Numerous rivers enter the Puget Sound system, but the Skagit entering in the north supplies more than 60% of the freshwater. Intrusions of new deep water have been shown by hydraulic model studies to occur when flood-tide ranges at Seattle exceed 3.5 m. At this range, Strait of Juan de Fuca water transits Admiralty Inlet sill in one flood period and thus is least mixed (Farmer and Rattray, 1963).
Use of autoradiographic techniques for the localization of neurotransmitter receptors in brain and periphery: recent applications.

The role of the receptor in mediating drug and neurotransmitter action has become increasingly more well-defined. Studies of a compound’s interaction with its receptor has led to the concept of rational drug design and subsequent in vitro testing procedures. Anatomical localization of these drug and neurotransmitter receptors can lead to an increased understanding of their potential role in physiological and behavioral responses, as well as helping to define mechanisms of drug action.
Chronic pharmacologic treatment of experimental hypoxic pulmonary hypertension: With observations on rate of change in pulmonary arterial pressure

Abstract In this study, the effect of chronic pharmacologic treatment of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension was evaluated. The responses to acute pharmacologic treatment were considerably less than the responses to chronic treatment. These results illustrate the feasibility of chronic pharmacologic treatment for the reduction of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Furthermore, these studies confirm the importance of vasoconstriction in chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and the rapidity with which pulmonary arterial pressure may decrease when the hypoxic stimulus is blocked or removed.
When does the inverse have the same sign pattern as the transpose

By a sign pattern (matrix) we mean an array whose entries are from the set {+, −, 0}. The sign patterns A for which every real matrix with sign pattern A has the property that its inverse has sign pattern AT are characterized. Sign patterns A for which some real matrix with sign pattern A has that property are investigated. Some fundamental results as well as constructions concerning such sign pattern matrices are provided. The relation between these sign patterns and the sign patterns of orthogonal matrices is examined.
Perceived neighborhood safety and asthma morbidity in the School Inner‐City Asthma Study

Summary Aim The aim of this study was to investigate whether neighborhood safety as perceived by primary caregivers is associated with asthma morbidity outcomes among inner-city school children with asthma. Methods School children with asthma were recruited from 25 inner-city schools between 2009 and 2012 for the School Inner-City Asthma Study (N = 219). Primary caregivers completed a baseline questionnaire detailing their perception of neighborhood safety and their children's asthma symptoms, and the children performed baseline pulmonary function tests. In this cross-sectional analysis, asthma control was compared between children whose caregivers perceived their neighborhood to be unsafe versus safe. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, those children whose primary caregivers perceived the neighborhood to be unsafe had twice the odds of having poorly controlled asthma (odds ratio [OR] adjusted = 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2–3.9, P = 0.009), four times the odds of dyspnea and rescue medication use (OR adjusted = 4.7; 95% CI = 1.7–13.0, P = 0.003, OR adjusted = 4.0; 95% CI = 1.8–8.8, P < 0.001, respectively), three times as much limitation in activity (OR adjusted = 3.2; 95% CI = 1.4–7.7, P = 0.008), and more than twice the odds of night-time symptoms (OR adjusted = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.3–4.0, P = 0.007) compared to participants living in safe neighborhoods. There was no difference in pulmonary function test results between the two groups. Conclusions Primary caregivers' perception of neighborhood safety is associated with childhood asthma morbidity among inner-city school children with asthma. Further study is needed to elucidate mechanisms behind this association, and future intervention studies to address social disadvantage may be important. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:17–24. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Productive Usability: Fostering Civic Engagement and Creating More Useful Online Spaces for Public Deliberation

This article offers productive usability as a usability approach that focuses on the usefulness of civic Web sites. Although some sites meet traditional usability standards, civic sites might fail to support technical literacy, productive inquiry, collaboration, and a multidimensional perspective—all essential ingredients for citizen-initiated change online. In this article, we map productive usability onto broader philosophies of usability and offer a framework for rethinking usability in civic settings and for teaching productive usability.
“Remember, it's always whites' ball”: Descriptions of African American male communication

This paper represents a phenomenological approach to studying the communication of African American men. Through the use of critical incidents, indepth interviews, and focus group discussions, descriptions of lived experiences were collected from over thirty‐five co‐researchers over a two‐year period. Six essential themes are discussed as central to African American male communication: (1) the importance of other African Americans, (2) learning how to communicate with non‐African Americans, (3) keeping a safe distance, (4) playing the part (snap!), (5) testing the sincerity of non‐African Americans, and (6) an intense social responsibility. Implications for further research are discussed.
Group scheduling in flexible flow shops

Abstract Flexible flow shops are becoming increasingly common in industry practice due to higher workloads imposed by jobs. As a result, one or more stages in a flexible flow shop will have two or more units of the same machine type. The group scheduling problem, comprised of two levels of scheduling, is investigated in this paper to minimize the makespan in a flexible flow shop. At the first level, a sequence of jobs in each group is determined, while at the second level a sequence of groups themselves is determined. A statistical model based on split-plot design is developed to conduct the experiments to compare the performance of three different heuristic solution algorithms. These comparisons are based on either single setup or multiple setups on machines for processing jobs in the same group. The single setup assumes that only one machine in a stage can be setup for a group, while the multiple setups assumes that more than one machine in a stage can be setup for a group. Three different problem structures representing sizes ranging from small, medium to large have been considered as the main factor along with flexibility introduced in the shop, setup-to-run time ratio, and solution algorithms as sub plot factors, thus resulting in a 34 factorial split-plot design. The higher the number of stages and the number of parallel machines in each stage, higher is the flexibility introduced in the shop. The results show that for small and medium size problems whether or not a computationally more demanding algorithm is employed to solve the level 1 or level 2 problem does not have any bearing on the makespan evaluated. This situation changes dramatically when large size problems are attempted, as a single-setup algorithm which combines the use of single- and multiple-pass heuristic for the level 2 and level 1 problems, respectively, outperforms another single-setup algorithm with the order of use reversed at all levels of flexibility. Test results also show that a multiple-setup algorithm is no worse than the single-setup algorithms and is sometimes much better. Hence, it is recommended for solving group scheduling problems in flexible flow shops.
Imaging and tunneling spectroscopy of gold nanocrystals and nanocrystal arrays

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) have been used to determine the structural and electronic properties of thiol-passivated 29000 amu gold nanocrystals, both individually and in spontaneously formed quasi-two-dimensional arrays. Experiments were performed at temperatures of 300 K, 77 K, and 8 K. Even at room temperature, tunneling through these 1.7 nm nanocrystals is shown to give rise to a Coulomb blockade. At cryogenic temperatures, the spectroscopy of the nanocrystals in arrays and in isolation shows an incremental charging effect (the Coulomb staircase) and evidence is found for quantization of the electronic states.
Thermo-mechanical stresses in copper interconnects - A modeling analysis

This study focuses on numerical modeling of thermo-mechanical stresses in copper interconnects. The three-dimensional analyses utilize a two-level metal structure connected by a via. Attention is devoted to the effects of the incorporation of polymer-based low-k dielectric material. Deformation is generated by thermal strain mismatches during cooling from an elevated temperature, as well as from cyclic thermal excursions. The thin barrier layers encasing the copper are also included in the models. Plastic deformation in the metal is taken into consideration in the analysis. The stress and deformation fields are examined in detail. It is found that the incorporation of low-k dielectric in place of traditional oxide-based dielectric significantly reduces the triaxial tensile stresses in copper but enhances plastic deformation, particularly in the via and its vicinity. The generation of shear stresses at the interface regions is also assessed. A parametric analysis is conducted to elucidate the individual influences of the thermal expansion and elastic properties of the dielectric material. Salient features having direct implications in device reliability are highlighted and discussed.
Recent progress of HTS cable project

A lot of developments of HTS wires and their applications have been conducted since the discovery of HTS materials in the world. It has been recently reported that critical current of BSCCO wires improved to more than 200 A at 77 K and a large amount of wire was provided with high quality as industrial products. This improvement can be expected to accelerate the commercialization of HTS applications such as an HTS cable, HTS motor and so on. As the proofs of such trends, Sumitomo Electric constructed two HTS cable systems and started their operations in the USA and Korea last year. One of them is the HTS cable in Albany, NY, which has a capacity of 34.5 kV and 800 A and 350 m in length. It has been operated in a real grid without any trouble for 9 months. The other is the HTS cable in Korea, which has a capacity of 22.9 kV and 1250 A and 100 m in length. Its operation also started in the KEPCO testing yard last year. These results demonstrate reliance and stability of its operation. Recently, a new national project of an HTS cable has just started in Japan to demonstrate the operation in a real grid and study the system operations including a monitoring method, an alarm system, a maintenance method, etc. This paper reports the results of Albany and Korea projects and an outline of the new project.