cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Recurrent Hospital Admission for Patients Presenting With Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State.

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are two serious, preventable complications of diabetes mellitus. Analysis of variables associated with recurrent DKA and HHS admission has the potential to improve patient outcomes by identifying possible areas for intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential predictors of recurrent DKA or HHS admission. Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study of 367 patients presenting during a 5-year period with DKA or HHS at a US tertiary academic medical center. Six potential readmission risk factors identified via literature review were coded as “1” if present and “0” if absent. Readmission odds ratios (ORs) for each risk factor and for the combined score of significant risk factors were calculated by logistic regression. Results: Readmission odds were significantly increased for patients with age 10.6% on admission and ethnic minority status did not significantly increase readmission odds, with inadequate study power for these variables. A total “ABCD” score, based on Age (< 35 years), Behavioral health (depression), insurance Coverage (self-pay/publicly funded insurance), and Drug/alcohol abuse, also had a significant effect on readmission odds. Conclusions: Consideration of individual risk factors and the use of a scoring system based on objective predictors of recurrent DKA and HHS admission could be of value in helping identify patients with high readmission risk, allowing interventions to be targeted most effectively to reduce readmission rates, associated morbidity, and mortality. J Clin Med Res. 2017;9(1):35-39 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2792w
Effect of mobile phone proliferation on crash notification times and fatality rates

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether increased proliferation of mobile telephones has been associated with decreased MVC notification times and/or decreased MVC fatality rates in the United States (US). Methods We used World Bank annual mobile phone market penetration data and US Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) fatal MVC data for 1994–2014. For each year, phone proliferation was measured as mobile phones per 100 population. FARS data were used to calculate MVC notification time (time EMS notified – time MVC occurred) in minutes, and to determine the MVC fatality rate per billion vehicle miles traveled (BVMT). We used basic vector auto-regression modeling to explore relationships between changes in phone proliferation and subsequent changes in median and 90th percentile MVC notification times, as well as MVC fatality rates. Results From 1994 to 2014, larger year-over-year increases in phone proliferation were associated with larger decreases in 90th percentile notification times for MVCs occurring during daylight hours (p = 0.004) and on the national highway system (p = 0.046) two years subsequent, and crashes off the national highway system three years subsequent (p = 0.023). There were no significant associations between changes in phone proliferation and subsequent changes in median crash notification times, nor with subsequent changes in MVC fatality rates. Conclusion Between 1994 and 2014 increased mobile phone proliferation in the U.S. was associated with shorter 90th percentile EMS notification times for some subgroups of fatal MVCs, but not with decreases in median notification times or overall MVC fatality rates.
Using Narrative Inquiry to Explore the Experience of One Ethnically Diverse ESL Nursing Student

Abstract Nursing education is tasked with the responsibility to ensure that the future nursing workforce mirrors the diversity of the patients it serves, but high attrition of ethnically diverse nursing students continues to plague prelicensure nursing programs. A great deal of quantitative evidence exists about variables that correlate to the higher attrition rate of ethnically diverse students. What is missing in the literature is the voice of the individual student solicited through a constructivist ontological lens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of one ethnically diverse nursing student who speaks English as a second language (ESL). Using a narrative inquiry approach, the life story of an Indian immigrant who successfully completed the nursing program was obtained through interviews and other artifacts. The student's life story was then reconstructed into a 3-dimensional narrative using a social constructivist perspective. Authenticity was established through unstructured interviewing, data triangulation, member checking, and careful examination of interview transcripts. Three themes were culled from the participant's narrative: family, language , and persistence. Analysis showed that family can be a source of additional stress for ethnically diverse students, but the support that family members provide tends to outweigh the negatives. Linguistic challenges related to English proficiency can lead to culturally insensitive behavior and discrimination toward ESL students. Persistence is a deeply individual phenomenon that is difficult to generalize or quantify. More research is needed to better understand the lived experience of ethnically diverse students who speak English as a second language. That knowledge will help nurse educators in creating culturally inclusive learning environments for ethnically diverse/ESL students that will support persistence and decrease attrition.
Situational Factors in Drinking

An important characteristic in adolescent development is the disengagement of the adolescent from parental objects. Coleman (1961) has shown the increasing influence of age peers and the decreasing role of parents as models from whom adolescents acquire many values and behaviors. In their longitudinal study of problem behavior and psychosocial development, Jessor and Jessor (1977) state that “there is a decline in parental controls and an increase in friends’ support and approval for models of problem behavior” (p. 162). Although the Jessors have reported an increase with age in problem behaviors such as problem drinking, sexual experience, general deviance, and drug use, they are careful to subsume the development of problem behavior under the broad context of psychosocial development. They note that many of the changes observed over the four-year period of the study were changes in a direction that may be defined as socially more mature. This even applies to the increase in problem drinking since this behavior is usually age graded (pp. 162–163). What is evident in the research of Jessor and Jessor (1977) is that the conception of alcohol use among youth is not an isolated activity but a basic part of their overall psychosocial development in contemporary society.
Abnormal mid-trimester cardiac strain in women with chronic hypertension predates superimposed preeclampsia.

Abstract Background Chronic hypertension (cHTN) affects 7% of all pregnancies. We hypothesized that cHTN during pregnancy would be associated with abnormal myocardial strain patterns and adverse perinatal outcomes. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients seen in a high-risk obstetrics clinic with cHTN. Parturients with a singleton pregnancy who had undergone an echocardiogram as part of routine clinical care were eligible. Clinical and demographic information was collected from medical records. Global peak longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured using automated software from stored echocardiographic images. Results 60 patients were included in this analysis, of which 48 (80.0%) were African American. The median BMI was 40.6, age was 34 years, and the gestational age was 20.4 weeks at the time of the echo and 37.9 weeks at delivery. Thirty-four patients (56.7%) demonstrated abnormal strain, defined as a GLS Conclusion In a population of parturients with cHTN, we found that more than one-half demonstrated subclinical abnormal cardiac function. The presence of abnormal cardiac strain predates superimposed preeclampsia and preterm delivery. Further studies are needed to validate these findings.
White blood cell population dynamics for risk stratification of acute coronary syndrome

The complete blood count (CBC) provides a high-level assessment of a patient’s immunologic state and guides the diagnosis and treatment of almost all diseases. Hematology analyzers evaluate CBCs by making high-dimensional single-cell measurements of size and cytoplasmic and nuclear morphology in high throughput, but only the final cell counts are commonly used for clinical decisions. Here, we utilize the underlying single-cell measurements from conventional clinical instruments to develop a mathematical model guided by cellular mechanisms that quantifies the population dynamics of neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte characteristics. The dynamic model tracks the evolution of the morphology of WBC subpopulations as a patient transitions from a healthy to a diseased state. We show how healthy individuals and hospitalized patients with similar WBC counts can be robustly classified based on their WBC population dynamics. We combine the model with supervised learning techniques to risk-stratify patients under evaluation for acute coronary syndrome. In particular, the model can identify more than 70% of patients in our study population with initially negative screening tests who will be diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome in the subsequent 48 hours. More generally, our study shows how mechanistic modeling of existing clinical data can help realize the vision of precision medicine.
Deterrents to Organ Donation: A Multivariate Analysis of 766 Survey Respondents.

Background Although successful on many fronts, solid organ transplantation fails patients who die on waitlists. Too few organ donors beget this failure. Dispelling misperceptions associated with donation and transplantation would expectedly increase donation and decrease waitlist mortality; recipients would also receive transplants earlier in their disease process, leading to better post-transplantation outcomes. Study Design Survey responses to 7 questions pertaining to organ donation and transplantation were analyzed to determine their association with willingness to donate. Subgroup analyses according to race, residence status (rural vs nonrural), and education level were performed. Results There were 766 respondents; 84.6% were willing to be a donor, 76.2% were female, 79.7% were Caucasian, and 16.5% were African-American. Having concerns about getting inadequate medical care if registered as a donor was the strongest independent predictor of willingness to donate overall (odds ratio 0.21; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.36) and in each subgroup; African Americans were more likely than Caucasians to have this concern (20.2% vs 9.5%; p Conclusions The strongest deterrent of willingness to donate one's own or a family member's organs is a misperception that should be correctable. Race and age are less predictive. Efforts to dispel misperceptions and increase donation remain desperately needed to improve waitlist mortality and post-transplantation outcomes.
The Role of Researcher in Participatory Inquiry: Modeling Intra-Active Reflexivity in Conversational Reflections

This article presents intimate conversations among three colleagues around ethical considerations of ethnographic inter-racial qualitative inquiry. It draws on an ethnographic research project cond...
Individually Owned Lands and Communal Land Tenure

Kruse conducts an original qualitative examination of early land cases under the Naval Administration from 1900 to 1980s that established the legal pathway to alienate land via the court-established classification of individually owned land. The chapter shows that while the US Congress and the Department of Interior successfully maintained their commitment to protections against alienation of communal lands to foreigners, individual Sāmoans have been participants in the splitting and apportioning of communal lands in American Sāmoan vis-a-vis individually owned rights and ownership. Kruse traces the Naval Court’s evolving court decisions from 1901 to 1980s, detailing that adverse land possession rights were only accepted from evidence of exclusive possession and control to exclusive possession and cultivation, then first occupancy and claim of right, resulting in the laws of convenience. These rights, Kruse argues, apportions communal lands and disempower the fa’amātai system.
Jailcare: finding the safety net for women behind bars

The exponential growth of mass incarceration and the impact that it has had in the lives of poor and Black people in the United States has begun to attract greater public awareness. However, women ...
Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers

(1998). Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 102-102.
Distributional Differences between Family Physicians and General Internists

While differences in practice style and costs between family medicine and internal medicine are relatively well known, the differences in geographic distribution between the two remain underexplored. This study aims to examine differences in distribution of family physicians and general internists by geographic and demographic characteristics. Data sources are the 2016 American Medical Association Physician Master File and 2015 American Community Survey. Results show that internists are more dominant in urban areas, especially in the Northeast; they are also more likely to practice in the West and South. Family physicians are more likely to practice in rural areas and primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas than internists; their distribution also varies significantly with respect to areas whose residents are members of racial/ethnic minority groups, live in poverty, and are uninsured. Such differences should be a consideration for planning to address regional and national primary care workforce shortages.
Ataxin-2 Is Droppin' Some Knowledge.

Ataxin-2 is an RNA-binding protein involved in translation regulation and mutated in neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS. In this issue of Neuron, Bakthavachalu et al. (2018) demonstrate that higher-order ataxin-2 RNA/protein assemblies are necessary for both translation-dependent learning and ALS-associated neurodegeneration in Drosophila.
Prospective on the Functional Characteristics of Human LTC4 Synthase

Publisher Summary The history of the progress of research focused on slow-reacting substances of anaphylaxis (SRS-A) is a suitable paradigm for the 25 years that span the first and fifth interdisciplinary symposium directed at assessing the pathobiology of bronchial asthma. The progressive purification and functional characterization of SRS-A led to elucidation of its composition as cysteinyl leukotrienes. The stereochemistry of LTC 4 and its receptor-active metabolites, LTD 4 and LTE 4 , were subsequently defined by demonstrating that synthetic compounds were equipotent with biologically derived materials in bioassays. The novel proteins involved in the biosynthesis of LTC 4 , i.e. 5-LO, FLAP and LTC 4 S, were defined and cloned, cDNA sequences and the genomic organizations of these proteins revealed that two of the three proteins, LTC 4 S and FLAP, defined a new gene family. The amino acid residues responsible for the function of each of the three proteins have been defined in this chapter and attention is now directed towards regulation of the genes and their polymorphism and its implications for airway disease. Most importantly, the cysteinyl leukotrienes contained in SRS-A have proven to be exquisitely active in impairing airflow of the human airway through their contractile activity on bronchial and vascular smooth muscle. Inhibition of their biosynthesis or receptor-mediated action is therefore therapeutically effective in treating patients with bronchial asthma.
Subluxation of the talocalcaneal joint in adults who have symptomatic flatfoot.

Background When flatfoot is acquired during adulthood, the shape of the foot changes. In addition to a decreased arch, there may be valgus angulation of the hindfoot or abduction of the forefoot, or both. However, there is little objective information to provide a better understanding of the anatomical or morphological changes that occur in acquired adult flatfoot. We wondered if such an understanding of the three-dimensional anatomy might shed light on the pathway by which these changes occur. We designed this study to measure the three-dimensional position of the talocalcaneal joint in patients who have painful flatfoot. Methods Computed tomography scans of the feet of eight patients who had symptomatic flatfoot were used to construct a model of the talocalcaneal articulation. The scans were performed on a custom loading frame developed to simulate weight-bearing with the foot in a neutral position while a seventy-five-newton axial compressive load was applied. The digital data from the scans were used to make three-dimensional computer models of the articular surfaces of the talus and calcaneus of each foot. These models then were used to calculate the percentage of the articular surface that was in contact and, conversely, the percentage that was subluxated. Two surfaces were modeled for each bone; the posterior facet formed one surface, and the anterior and middle facets were combined to form the second surface. The data were compared, with use of Mann-Whitney nonparametric U analysis, with those derived from scans of the feet of four patients without a deformity of the hindfoot who served as controls. Results A mean (and standard deviation) of 68+/-9 percent of the posterior facet of the calcaneus was in contact with the talus in the patients who had flatfoot compared with 92+/-2 percent in the controls, and a mean of 51+/-23 percent of the anterior and middle facets of the calcaneus was in contact with the talus in the patients who had flatfoot compared with 95+/-6 percent in the controls. These differences were significant (p = 0.0066 for both). Conclusions Marked subluxation of the talocalcaneal joint occurs in some patients who have symptomatic planoabductovalgus deformity.
Monovalent cation antiport reactions in isolated mitochondria.

One of the postulates of Mitchell’s chemiosmotic coupling hypothesis (55–57) is that the mitochondrion contains transport components that permit the movement of anions and cations across the inner membrane. The presence of such transport reactions is now well-established, as is the concept that these ion fluxes are secondary to the generation of an electrochemical H+ gradient (protonmotive force) by the respiratory chain. There are clear indications that the inner membrane contains at least three different antiporters that transport monovalent cations. These are the Na+/H+, the Na+/Ca2+, and the K+/H+ antiporters. The first two of these components appear to be present in an active form in unmodified mitochondria, whereas the K+/H+ anti porter is latent and must be activated by specific alterations to the mitochondrion. The Na+/H+ and Na+/Ca2+ antiporters do not appear to transport K+, whereas the so called K+/H+ component will accept Na+, K+ and Li+ as substrates. This review summarizes the evidence for the presence of each of these transport components, their properties, and the status of current work on their characterization, particularly with respect to several areas of controversy.
CO2-Driven Geomorphological Processes: Landscape Evolution

Abstract This chapter describes and discusses the landscape changes in the martian polar and midlatitude regions that are possibly related to the CO2 seasonal cycle. It builds on ideas introduced in Chapter 5 and carries on with the discussion of “exotic” influences on the current landscape evolution of Mars. Geographically, the chapter comprises the southern and northern hemispheres, discussing the similarities and differences in the specific geomorphological features observed in each hemisphere. Among the landscape features and processes discussed are: araneiforms; furrows; high-latitude gullies; alcoves on polar dune alcoves; residual polar scarp avalanches; and polar pits, i.e., “Swiss cheese” terrain.
Experimental characterization and power-performance optimization of a POWER based server class memory subsystem

Managing DRAM power and main memory energy efficiency are a prime area of concern today. There have been several methods of achieving this evolved over time. In this paper, we have explored the memory rank-power controls in a performance simulation environment. There are two distinctive, but related goals achieved out of the proposed pre-to-post silicon correlation methodology. In the first part, we focus on identifying an ideal power mode in the pre-silicon environment, with a goal of achieving maximum memory performance and minimal DRAM power consumption. In the second part, the pre-silicon results are compared with the post-silicon hardware results and a tight correlation is ensured to gain confidence on the overall methodology. In order to achieve this objective, we have identified a memory intensive DAXPY workload, to be tested in the pre-silicon simulation environment. The performance verification environment includes configuration files and behavioral VHDL models of the memory controller, to parallel a real-world memory intensive traffic. This methodology could also be extended to performance calculation of the entire system stack.
An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Seasonal Precipitation and Thermodynamic Environment in Puerto Rico

AbstractWith limited groundwater reserves and few reservoirs, Caribbean islands such as Puerto Rico are largely dependent on regular rainfall to meet societal and ecological water needs. Thus, the ...
In the mix: Social integration and social media adoption

Abstract What is the nature of the relationship between online and offline social life? Specifically, how does participation in the traditional forms of social life of a community shape social media adoption? Using a unique, two-wave panel dataset with saturated network data from over 20,000 students in 56 New Jersey middle schools, we test how measures of integration into a community are associated with adoption and discontinuation of social media platforms over the course of a school year. Social media adoption and discontinuation are related to the extent of students’ bonding integration (social connections and social support) and competitive integration (related to status and dominance hierarchies) into the social life of the school, where more integrated students are more likely to adopt more social media platforms. Social media provides a space for community members to be in the know and to be known, both of which are more valuable with greater social integration.
Homelessness and Inpatient Burn Outcomes in the United States

Burn injuries are common in the homeless population. Little is known regarding whether homeless patients experience different outcomes when admitted for burns. We aim to 1) characterize the admitted homeless burn population, and 2) investigate differences in inpatient outcomes between the homeless and non-homeless populations. A retrospective cohort study was performed utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Adult patients with complete data for burn characteristics were extracted. Variables included demographic, burn, and facility characteristics. Homelessness was identified with International Classification of Disease 9th edition codes. Outcomes were modeled with regression analysis and included length of stay, total operations, charges, disposition, and Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs). 43,872 encounters were included of which 0.76% were homeless. Homeless encounters were more likely to be male (P < .001) and Medicaid-insured (P < .001). Flame and frostbite injuries were more likely (P < .001), and the mean %TBSA was smaller (15.0 vs 16.8, P < .001). After adjustment, homeless patients had greater lengths of stay (11.5 vs 9.6, P = .046), greater charges ($73,597 vs $66,909, P = .030), fewer operations (P = .016), and three times higher likelihood leaving against medical advice (P = .002). There was no difference in PSIs or mortality. Homeless burn admissions represent a unique cohort that carries a higher comorbidity burden and experiences longer lengths of stay with greater difficulty in disposition. Ironically, these patients accumulate more charges with limited means to pay. Even though no differences were observed in PSIs or mortality, further research is needed to understand how the challenges within this population affect their recovery.
Family Influence Upon Religion

Religion is an institution upholding a system of “sacred” acts as contrasted with others called “worldly” or “profane.” All of them, from “primitive” to the most advanced types - such as Confuciani...
Feasibility of model adaptations and implementation of a perinatal psychiatric teleconsultation program.

Abstract Objective Given the critical shortage of perinatal psychiatrists, combined with the prevalence of psychiatric conditions in the perinatal period, teleconsultation may help to maximize the efficiency of psychiatrists to reach this population. The Periscope Project (TPP) is a Wisconsin-based program offering real-time provider-to-provider teleconsultation, community resource information, and provider education. This paper describes model adaptations and implementation of TPP and the first 18 months of program data. Method Enrollment and satisfaction data was collected via self-reported online surveys. Encounter data was entered by TPP team members through communication with providers. All data was housed in REDCap. Results Four hundred eight-five providers enrolled and 268 unique providers accessed services at least once. There were 594 encounters with 85% of encounters resulting in a teleconsultation. Mean call-back time from the psychiatrist was 6.8 min. Over half of utilizing providers practiced in obstetrical settings and 23% practiced in mental health settings. Provider satisfaction with the service was 100%. Conclusions Utilization and satisfaction with TPP suggest that perinatal psychiatry access program models can vary in structure and process and experience similar utilization rates. Model adaptations are feasible and demonstrate the teleconsultation service is accepted by providers and may improve the population's health over time.
Hypernatremic Hydrophobic Transient Adipsia Without Organic or Severe Psychiatric Disorder.

CONTEXT Psychogenic adipsic hypernatremia is an exceedingly rare and life-threatening condition, occurring in those with severe psychiatric disorders. Its diagnosis requires exclusion of congenital or acquired hypothalamic pathologic entities. We present the case of a patient who experienced transient severe hypernatremia without evidence of brain pathologic features or known psychiatric disease. In our patient, the transient adipsic hypernatremia had resulted from an episode of mild depression that resolved spontaneously. CASE DESCRIPTION A 46-year-old healthy woman who had had three recurrent admissions within 1 month had presented for evaluation of intractable nausea and vomiting with a history of a recent episode of a depressive mood change. Each admission had shown substantial hypernatremia (maximum plasma sodium, 166 mEq/L) accompanied by a strong aversion to consuming water. The findings from the diagnostic evaluation showed elevated serum osmolality and lower than expected urine osmolality (urine osmolality range, 474-501 mOsm/kg). This finding, along with an MRI scan showing the presence of a normal posterior pituitary bright spot, suggested that the osmoregulation of her thirst and arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion were both defective during the attack. The patient was evaluated by psychiatry. Mild depression was diagnosed, and the patient started treatment with mirtazapine, which she only took for a few days. The patient's hypernatremia had completely recovered with resolution of her depression within 2 months. CONCLUSION A mild mood disorder can cause transient dysregulation of the thirst mechanism and AVP secretion through not yet identified mechanisms.
A comparison of centrifugation and tangential flow filtration for nanoparticle purification: A case study on acetalated dextran nanoparticles

Abstract Tangential flow filtration (TFF) is a purification method commonly used in a multitude of fields, including particle engineering. Currently, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding of the effects of key TFF parameters on nanoparticle (NP) characteristics (purification outcomes). The present study aimed to investigate the influence of various factors on the characteristics of TFF-purified NP. The most commonly used NP purification method, centrifugation, was studied as a control. A design of experiment approach was implemented to investigate the influence of transmembrane pressure, flow rate, and initial drug loading on NP characteristics using paclitaxel as a model small molecule. Following the determination of optimized TFF parameters, the two purification methods were assessed using other model small molecules (i.e. tacrolimus and resveratrol). The results indicated that the TFF parameters and initial loading of the drug played important roles in the purified NP outcomes. Compared with the centrifugation method, TFF resulted in smaller NP with higher drug loading. TFF was able to circumvent issues associated with conventional centrifugation, while yielding similar results, and can potentially serve as a suitable large-scale purification method for polymeric NP.
Capillary electrophoresis coupled to MALDI mass spectrometry imaging with large volume sample stacking injection for improved coverage of C. borealis neuropeptidome

Neuropeptides are important signaling molecules responsible for a wide range of functions within the nervous and neuroendocrine system. However, they are difficult to study due to numerous challenges, most notably their large degree of variability and low abundance in vivo. As a result, effective separation methods with sensitive detection capabilities are necessary for profiling neuropeptides in tissue samples, particularly those of simplified model organisms such as crustaceans. In order to address these challenges, this study utilized a capillary electrophoresis (CE)-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) platform, building upon our previous design for improved neuropeptidomic coverage. The capillary was coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) to reduce peptide adsorption and reverse the electroosmotic flow, and large volume sample stacking (LVSS) was used to load and pre-concentrate 1 μL of sample. The method demonstrated good reproducibility, with lower than 5% relative standard deviation for standards, and a limit of detection of approximately 100 pM for an allatostatin III peptide standard. The method was tested on brain and sinus gland (SG) tissue extracts and enabled detection of over 200 neuropeptides per run. When comparing the number detected in brain extracts in a direct spot, 60-second fractions, and 30-second fractions, the continuous trace collection afforded by the CE-MALDI-MSI platform yielded the largest number of detected neuropeptides. The method was compared to conventional LC-ESI-MS, and though the number of neuropeptides detected by LC-ESI-MS was slightly larger, the two methods were highly complementary, indicating the potential for the CE-MALDI-MSI method to uncover previously undetected neuropeptides in the crustacean nervous system. These results indicate the potential of CE-MALDI-MSI for routine use in neuropeptide research.
X-Ray Excited Fluorescent Materials for Medical Application

X-ray fluorescence (XF) and X-ray luminescence (XL) are X-ray stimulated processes which can be exploited for medical imaging. In recent years, the computed tomography (XFCT and XLCT) imaging of these processes has attracted much attention especially in the field of radiation therapy. These imaging modalities have potentials to offer additional functional information from the patient during exposure to X-rays for position alignment before the radiation treatment. More recently, these new techniques have been further studied in Monte Carlo simulations and benchtop experiments to characterize and optimize different imaging configurations. This chapter summarizes recent instrumentational developments in X-ray excited imaging; discusses their attributes, advantages, and drawbacks; and describes specifications and applications of various contrast agents for XF- and XLCT. The feasibility of the modalities for future clinical applications will be also highlighted.
Behavioral Health Service Delivery with Asian Americans

Although Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA, they are relatively invisible in behavioral health service delivery. Asian Americans generally have been overlooked in federal behavioral health policies. Underutilization of mental health services has also contributed to Asian Americans’ invisibility. Therapist–client ethnic matching, increasing therapist cultural competence, cultural adaptations of interventions, and providing alternative services to traditional behavioral health interventions (e.g., movement-based interventions) have been approaches to making behavioral health services culturally relevant for Asian Americans. Future directions include the consideration of within-group variability among Asian Americans and of cultural influences that are proximal to treatment outcomes.
Mindfulness with paced breathing reduces blood pressure

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a major avoidable cause of premature morbidity and mortality in the United States (US) and worldwide, due primarily to increased risks of stroke as well as myocardial infarction. While there are therapeutic lifestyle changes and adjunctive pharmacologic medications of proven benefit, recent interest has increasingly focused on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, in particular, Mind-Body Interventions. With respect to BP, it is tempting to speculate that mindfulness with paced breathing will have beneficial effects in the short run that may translate into lowered risks of stroke in the long run. Paced breathing is deep diaphragmatic breathing with typical rates equal to or less than 5-7 breaths per minute compared with the usual rate of 12-14. One plausible mechanism of benefit is that paced breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which alters neuronal function in specific areas of the brain and reduces stress chemicals. The hypothesis that mindfulness with paced slow breathing reduces BP could be directly tested in randomized trials designed a priori to do so. Subsequently, a finding that mindfulness with paced breathing reduces BP would also lead to direct tests in randomized trials of reductions of carotid atherosclerosis and, if so, a larger scale trial to test whether there is a direct impact of mindfulness with paced breathing on reducing the risks of stroke and MI. If rigorous testing of this medical hypothesis led to positive results this would have large and important clinical and policy implications in the US and worldwide.
Student Views of the Online Learning Process during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Upper-Level and Entry-Level Undergraduate Perspectives

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, chemistry faculty across the globe quickly converted courses to an online format. Resources rapidly became available that reflected the views...
Identification of compounds enhancing Aqp4 stop codon readthrough

Abstract An unusual stop codon readthrough event generates a conserved C-terminally elongated variant of the water channel protein Aquaporin 4 (AQP4). In the brain, AQP4 is astrocyte-specific, required for normal functioning of the glymphatic system, and involved in the clearance of the Alzheimer’s associated protein Amyloid beta. Further, the readthrough variant is localized exclusively perivascularly, and the perivascular pool of AQP4 is reduced in Alzheimer’s and several other neurological diseases. However, there are currently no means of increasing or restoring the perivascular pool AQP4. Here we identify a compound that can enhance Aqp4 stop codon readthrough. We screened 2600 compounds, mostly approved drugs and pharmacologically active natural compounds, using a luciferase reporter system. 28 candidate lead compounds were then subjected to a variety of secondary screening steps using orthogonal reporter systems and characterizing dose-response activities. Finally, we tested the top compounds’ abilities to generate readthrough of the endogenous Aqp4 transcript, identifying Apigenin as an enhancer of this biological phenomenon. This compound can allow modulation of readthrough in experimental systems, mechanistic studies of programmed readthrough, and suggests the potential for modulating Alzheimer’s disease through pharmacological enhancement of perivascular AQP4.
The Student with Cancer: Marc Fernandez, a Fourth-Year Medical Student with Cancer

A newly acquired disability can occur at any point during medical school or throughout ones’ medical career. For those newly diagnosed, it can be particularly challenging to access the needed resources. Unfamiliar with the formal process for requesting accommodations, students may disclose to course directors and others that are unaware of the disability resources available or what constitutes appropriate and reasonable accommodations. In this chapter, we discuss a fourth-year medical student, who is applying for residency and is diagnosed with colon cancer. Concerns about how best to balance ones’ health and the continued desire to pursue their education course (application for residency and the Match) are discussed within the context of the dual role of both a resident in training and an employee. In this case, we outline the roles of the program director, human resources, and other stakeholders that are involved in obtaining accommodations in the graduate medical education space and the legal and programmatic obligation to provide accommodations.
Functional and genomic adaptations of blood monocytes to pregravid obesity during pregnancy

ABSTRACT Pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with several adverse maternal health outcomes, notably increased risk of infection as well as the incidence of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. However, the mechanisms by which pregravid obesity disrupts the pregnancy associated “immune clock” are still unknown. To address this question, we collected blood samples from women during the first and third trimesters and determined the impact of both pregnancy and pregravid obesity on circulating immune mediators, immune cell subset frequencies, and peripheral immune responses. While regardless of BMI, pregnancy was associated with an elevation in both Th1 and Th2 cytokines, pregravid obesity was associated with a dysregulation in circulating myeloid factors at term. Moreover, pregnancy in lean subjects was associated with enhanced monocyte activation, augmented chromatin accessibility at inflammatory loci, and heightened responses to LPS. Pregravid obesity disrupted this trajectory and was accompanied by a lack of transcriptional and epigenetic changes and alterations in metabolic status strongly suggesting a skewing towards immunotolerance. These findings provide novel insight into the increased susceptibility to infections observed with obesity during pregnancy. SUMMARY A healthy pregnancy is associated with progressive innate immune activation. Maternal factors such as obesity compromise this myeloid cell activation trajectory at genomic, epigenomic, functional, and metabolic levels, resulting in stagnant immune responses, suggestive of a state of tolerance.
Revisiting the Role of Content in Language Assessment Constructs

In 1990, Bachman first introduced his model of communicative language use, which focused not just on an individual’s communicative language ability, which he defined as language competence plus strategic competence, but also psychophysiological mechanisms, the language use context, and the language user’s knowledge structures. In this paper, I first review Bachman’s model, specifically his conceptualization of the role of content (or knowledge structures) in language use and in construct definitions. I then examine how his conceptualizations have been taken up and built on in the language assessment practices of three key contexts in which content and language intersect: language for specific purposes, U.S. K-12 English learner education, and content and language integrated learning. For each context, I highlight examples of the latest conceptualizations of the role content plays in their assessment constructs. I conclude by arguing that, if we are to develop language assessments that yield meaningful interpretations about test takers’ ability to use language in specific target language use domains, future research must focus on the role of content in language assessment constructs.
A Numerical Approach for Approximate Feedback Linearization

We present a numerical approach to study the approximate feedback linearisation of nonlinear systems which do not satisfy the restrictive conditions for feedback linearisation. Most of the previous work require derivatives of the vector fields of the nonlinear systems. We formulate this problem as an optimisation problem. This approach does not require any derivatives of the system vector fields. The resulting approximate system can be used to develop a tracking control law for the original system.
Escaping Poverty in Post‐Socialist Vietnam: Does Place Matter?

Over the past two decades, Vietnam has exhibited remarkable success in eliminating poverty. In fact, since 1999 Vietnam had the highest percentage point reduction of households living in poverty of any country in Asia. Between 2004 and 2008, the period focused on in this article, the Vietnamese national poverty rate fell from 21 to 12 percent. Although Vietnam experienced a dramatic overall reduction in poverty, poverty levels remain spatially uneven. Provinces with large amounts of foreign investments report significantly higher levels of poverty reduction than economically isolated rural provinces. This article focuses on both temporal change and geographic variability in household poverty reduction. Using paneled household data, a series of multilevel logistic regressions are used to examine why some households are more likely to escape poverty than others, and whether a household's place of residence contributes to its likelihood of escaping poverty. We address two questions: (1) controlling for household-level sociodemographic factors, does the geographic location in which a household is embedded affect its likelihood of escaping poverty, and (2) does the interaction between household characteristics and provincial-level changes in foreign direct investment per capita between 2001 and 2008 affect the probability of a household escaping poverty during this time?
Nonautonomous kato classes of measures and Feynman-KAC propagators

The behavior of the Feynman-Kac propagator corresponding to a time-dependent measure on R n is studied. We prove the boundedness of the propagator in various function spaces on R n , and obtain a uniqueness theorem for an exponentially bounded distributional solution to a nonautonomous heat equation.
Summary of Problems and Conclusions on the Nature and Physical Structure of Wolf-Rayet Stars

The Wolf-Rayet stars were the subject of a symposium held at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in Boulder, Colorado in June 1968. Here there was considerable discussion about whether one should talk about a class of objects called ‘Wolf-Rayet stars’ or whether it was more appropriate to talk about something called the ‘Wolf-Rayet phenomenon’ (Gebbie and Thomas, 1968). The point of view taken in this review is that it is more advantageous for obtaining an understanding of Wolf-Rayet objects to collate the available material under the broad category Wolf-Rayet phenomenon than to attempt to demonstrate that there is a homogeneous set of stars which can be called Wolf-Rayet stars and which occupy a significant stage in the evolution of stars, this stage being traversed routinely by all stars of a certain range of mass.
Projective and object space geometry for monocular building extraction

Knowledge about the imaging geometry and acquisition parameters provides useful geometric constraints for the analysis and extraction of man-made features in aerial imagery, particularly in oblique views. We discuss the identification of horizontal and vertical lines in the scene, using image orientation information and vanishing point calculations, and the calculation of their dimensions. The vertical and horizontal attributions are used to constrain the set of possible building hypotheses, and vertical lines are extracted at corners to estimate structure height and permit the generation of three-dimensional building models from monocular views. Results of these techniques are presented for nadir and oblique imagery and evaluated against manually generated 3D ground truth building models. >
A new technique for measuring temporal profiles of picosecond and femtosecond laser pulses using self‐induced deflection in a semiconductor wedge

A technique is described for measuring the temporal profile of short laser pulses. By passing the laser pulses through a suitable semiconductor material, electron and hole plasmas are excited which modifies the refractive index of the semiconductor. When the semiconductor is in the form of a wedge, these electron-hole plasmas produce a spatial scanning of the laser pulse. By choosing an appropriate detector, the laser temporal profile can be directly determined from this self-induced spatial scanning. Es wird eine Technik zur Messung des zeitlichen Profils von kurzen Laserimpulsen beschrieben. Beim Durchqueren des Laserimpulses durch ein geeignetes Halbleitermaterial werden Blektronen-und Locherplasmen angeregt, die den Brechungsindex des Halbleiters andern. Wenn der Halb-leiter in Form eines Keiles vorliegt, rufen diese Elektron-Loch-Plasmen ein raumliches Abtasten des Laserimpulses hervor. Durch Wahl eines geeigneten Detektors last sich das zeitliche Laser-profil direkt aus dieser selbstinduzierten raumlichen Abtastung bestimmen.
Five Key Topics on the Frontier of Theology and Science Today

: This article explores the creative mutual interaction between Christian theology and the natural sciences through five key issues: (1) the relation between creation ex nihilo and Big Bang cosmology; (2) biological evolution and continuous creation; (3) the search for non-interventionist objective divine action in light of physics and biology; (4) the problem of suffering in nature and with it the turn to redemption theology via the bodily Resurrection of Jesus; and (5) the challenge raised for its eschatological implications by scientific predictions for the future of the universe. The article concludes with a brief suggestion for the ways Christian theology, reformulated in light of these sciences, might offer creative suggestions for future scientific research, and, in doing so, complete the loop promised by the phrase “mutual creative interaction.”