cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of procaine-induced cardioplegia on myocardial ischemia, myocardial edema, and postarrest ventricular function. A comparison with potassium-induced cardioplegia and hypothermia.

The extent of myocardial protection afforded by a procaine cardioplegic solution during cardiac ischemia has been evaluated and compared with the protection seen using a potassium cardioplegic solution. An isolated cat heart model was employed, and ventricular function parameters, intramyocardial gas tensions, and postischemic myocardial edema were measured and compared following 60 minutes of induced ischemia at 37° C. and 27° C. There was no significant improvement in recovery of postarrest ventricular function when procaine cardioplegia was used during normothermic ischemia. When used at 27° C., however, both cardioplegic solutions were associated with significantly better recovery of postarrest ventricular function, although there was less myocardial edema formation in the potassium-treated hearts. Results of this study indicate that procaine-induced cardioplegia provides myocardial protection during anoxic cardiac arrest which is additive to that afforded by hypothermia alone. In addition, procaine cardioplegia results in postarrest functional recovery which is similar to that seen with potassium cardioplegia.
Medicine and social welfare in the Byzantine Empire.

Byzantine medicine was guided by Hippocratic principles and Christian theo­ logical precepts, all of which viewed the human being as a psychosomatic en­tity. Medical philosophy and Christian theology had achieved an alliance, and the well-being of the entire person was the central objective of both. Along with pharmaceutical herbs and drugs, diet and baths, exercises and op­ timistic outlooks, Byzantine physicians, whether laymen or clergymen, em­phasized rational treatment but also the need for religious faith and hope. Even though the holy man and his miraculous therapeutic powers were highly respected, appreciation of the power of logic had never gone into a total eclipse throughout the Byzantine era. Thanks to the work of good physicians and their impact on the welfare of society medicine obtained high respect in 9th century. Nevertheless, the dialogue between secular medicine and sacred medicine, and the debate between secular and spiritual approaches to health and social welfare con­tinued unabated down to the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Key words: Social welfare - Byzantine Empire - Philosophy
The California Hospital Outcomes Project: How Useful Is California’s Report Card for Quality Improvement?

Article-at-a-Glance Background Hospital report cards have proliferated in the 1990s but remain controversial because risk-adjusted outcomes measures are complex and have uncertain validity. Despite this controversy, little is known about their value and impact. Methods A two-stage survey of hospital leaders in California was undertaken in September 1996 and July 1997 to explore how the 1996 reports and data from the California Hospital Outcomes Project (CHOP) were used to improve organizations' performance. In the first stage, a questionnaire was mailed to the chief executive officer of each hospital in the report. In the second stage, a stratified random sample of the respondents who indicated a willingness to provide further information was interviewed. Results Thirty-nine interviews were completed, representing 87% yield after replacing informants who failed to return six messages. About three-quarters of the interviewees found some aspect of the CHOP report to be useful, especially for benchmarking performance, improving ICD-9-CM ( International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification ) coding, and educating physicians about documentation and clinical pathways. The most common criticisms were that the reports were not timely and described death rates without providing practical information about the process of care. Discussion Although the 1996 CHOP reports and data were widely disseminated within hospitals, most reported uses did not directly affect the process of care for patients with acute myocardial infarction. This finding reflects two critical weaknesses of the project—nontimely data and lack of information about the process of care. Nevertheless, hospital quality managers recognize that public report cards are here to stay, and some carefully studied their outcomes data to identify areas for improvement.
Bifunctional chelators: An important tool in the development of inorganic pharmaceuticals

Metal ion-based pharmaceuticals now play an important role in both the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The design of modern inorganic pharmaceuticals for imaging or radiotherapy often consists of a biological targeting vector and a bifunctional ligand for coupling a diagnostic or therapeutic metal ion with the targeting vector Bifunctional ligands may serve only to prevent the release of adventurous metal ions in the body or play a second role in imparting new physical features to the metal ion that aid in diagnosis. Given that so many bifunctional ligands are available to choose from, it is important to understand the features of these molecules that serve the desired application best. This short review summarizes some key factors to consider which choosing a bifunctional ligand for a particular imaging or therapeutic application.
Abstract 1022: The ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate down regulates c-Myc signaling in a malignant glioma model

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with a dismal median survival of 1.5 years. To address the need for novel therapeutics for the treatment of GB, investigations into high fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (KD) have been explored as potential adjuvant therapeutic modalities. Preclinical studies of the KD in a mouse model of malignant glioma demonstrated that the KD extended median survival when used alone and substantially potentiated both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the underlying mechanisms by which the KD exerts its therapeutic benefits remain poorly understood. A key result of the KD is the production of the ketone bodies β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), acetoacetate, and acetone. Of these, BHB is the most prevalent ketone body produced. In order to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of the KD, we have examined the interactions between BHB and the mouse glioma cell line GL261-Luc2. Previously, we demonstrated the ability of βHB to recapitulate the in vivo effects of the KD in tumor cells in an in vitro model. In the present study, we demonstrate that the ketone βHB is able to significantly down regulate the master transcription factor c-Myc, which is intimately involved in cell cycle progression, apoptosis, proliferation, DNA damage and repair, and metabolism. Overexpression of c-Myc is tied to a variety of human malignancies. In GB, upregulation of c-Myc signaling has been connected to an increase in tumor glucose metabolism. Furthermore, downregulating c-Myc expression has been demonstrated to confer sensitivity to tumors. We show that doses of both 5mM and 10mM βHB significantly reduced the expression of c-Myc in the GL261-Luc2 cell line when evaluated by both immunocytochemistry and western blot. Downregulation of c-Myc may, in part, be a mechanism by which βHB and thus the KD exert their radiosensitizing and antiproliferative effects on tumors. We intend to further investigate the role of c-Myc in the KD by investigating downstream targets of c-Myc as well as potential regulators of c-Myc transcription that are affected by BHB. Citation Format: Alex P. Rossi, Helena B. Silva-Nichols, Eric C. Woolf, Adrienne C. Scheck. The ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate down regulates c-Myc signaling in a malignant glioma model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1022.
Dipole Approximation for Localized Distributed Charges

This section is devoted to dipole approximation for solutions of Maxwell equations with localized sources.
Human IL-22 binding protein isoforms act as a rheostat for IL-22 signaling

The cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22), which is a member of the IL-10 family, is produced exclusively by immune cells and activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in nonimmune cells, such as hepatocytes, keratinocytes, and colonic epithelial cells, to drive various processes central to tissue homeostasis and immunosurveillance. Dysregulation of IL-22 signaling causes inflammatory diseases. IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP; encoded by IL22RA2) is a soluble IL-22 receptor, which antagonizes IL-22 activity and has genetic associations with autoimmune diseases. Humans have three IL-22BP isoforms, IL-22BPi1 to IL-22BPi3, which are generated by alternative splicing; mice only have an IL-22BPi2 homolog. We showed that, although IL-22BPi3 had less inhibitory activity than IL-22BPi2, IL-22BPi3 was more abundant in various human tissues under homeostatic conditions. IL-22BPi2 was more effective than IL-22BPi3 at blocking the contribution of IL-22 to cooperative gene induction with the inflammatory cytokine IL-17, which is often present with IL-22 in autoimmune settings. In addition, we found that IL-22BPi1 was not secreted and therefore failed to antagonize IL-22 signaling. Furthermore, IL-22BPi2 was the only isoform that was increased in abundance when myeloid cells were activated by Toll-like receptor 2 signaling or retinoic acid, a maturation factor for myeloid cells. These data suggest that the human IL-22BP isoforms have distinct spatial and temporal roles and coordinately fine-tune IL-22-dependent STAT3 responses in tissues as a type of rheostat.
Influence of Thalamocortical Activity on Sensory Cortical Development and Plasticity

The cerebral cortical hemispheres are organized into multiple structurally and functionally distinct areas. The positioning of these areas is nearly invariant across individuals within a species and even between closely related species. We are interested in determining how these cortical areas are specified during development. Another main area of interest is how one cortical area might be induced to take on the identity of, and thus substitute for, another cortical area. We have been taking several different approaches to this long-standing issue. This chapter will report on some of our most recent findings. A more complete summary of our previous work can be found in several other review articles (Pallas, 2001, 2002, 2005, and in press).
Enacting Compassion: Hot/Cold, Illness and Taboos in Northern Mozambique

In northern Mozambique, those who are ‘hot’ have the ability to harm others who are ‘cool’ through missteps in rules governing sexual activity and cooking. Such taboo complexes have been recorded a...
Radiographs and computed tomography scans show similar observer agreement when classifying glenoid morphology in glenohumeral arthritis.

Background Glenohumeral subluxation and glenoid morphology are commonly evaluated in primary osteoarthritis by use of the Walch classification. The reliability of this classification system has been analyzed only by computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of plain axillary radiographs compared with CT scans. Methods Three shoulder surgeons blindly and independently evaluated the radiographs and CT scans of 75 consecutive shoulders with primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis. Each observer classified all shoulders according to Walch in 4 separate sessions, each 6 weeks apart. There were 2 sessions using only radiographs and 2 using only CT scans. The order of shoulders evaluated was randomized. Results The first reading by the most senior observer based on CT was arbitrarily used as the “gold standard” (A1, 21; A2, 13; B1, 12; B2, 28; C, 1). The average intraobserver agreement for radiographs was 0.66 (substantial; 0.66, 0.59, and 0.74 for each observer). The average intraobserver agreement for CT scans was 0.60 (moderate; 0.53, 0.61, and 0.65). Pairwise comparisons between observers showed higher agreement for radiographs than for CT scans (0.48 vs. 0.39). The average agreement for observations on radiographs and CT scans was 0.42 (moderate; 0.40, 0.37, and 0.50). Conclusion In this study, intraobserver agreement using the Walch classification based on axillary radiographs was substantial and compared favorably with agreement based on CT scans. The Walch classification provides a useful frame of reference when assessing subluxation and glenoid morphology in primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis, but not unlike other classification systems, it does not allow perfect agreement among observers.
Progression to Stage D Heart Failure Among Outpatients With Stage C Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction

Abstract Objectives This study sought to estimate the rate of progression to Stage D heart failure (HF) among outpatients with Stage C HF and to identify risk factors for progression. Background The pool of patients who may be candidates for advanced HF therapies is growing. Methods We estimated 3-year progression to clinically determined Stage D HF and competing mortality among 964 outpatients with Stage C heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), where ejection fraction is ≤40%. Results The mean age of patients was 62 ± 15 years; 35% were women; 47% were white; 46% were black, and 7% were of other races; median baseline ejection fraction was 28% (25th to 75th percentile: 20% to 35%); and 47% had ischemic heart disease. After 3.0 years (25th to 75th percentile: 1.7 to 3.2 years), 112 patients progressed to Stage D (3-year incidence: 12.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.2% to 14.6%; annualized: 4.5%; 95% CI: 3.8% to 5.5%), and 116 patients died before progression (3-year competing mortality: 12.9%; annualized: 4.7%; 95% CI: 3.9% to 5.6%). By 3 years, 25.1% of patients (95% CI: 22.2% to 28.1%) had either progressed to Stage D or died (annualized: 9.2%; 95% CI: 8.1% to 10.5%). Annualized progression rates were higher in black versus white patients (6.3% vs. 2.7%, respectively; p Conclusions Among patients with Stage C HFrEF receiving care in a referral center, 4.5% progressed to Stage D HF each year, with earlier progression among black and nonischemic patients. These findings have implications for healthcare planning and resource allocation for these patients.
Bombesin-like receptor 3 (Brs3) expression in glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, neurons is required for regulation of energy metabolism.

Objective Bombesin-like receptor 3 (BRS-3) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor. Brs3 null mice have reduced resting metabolic rate and body temperature, increased food intake, and obesity. Here we study the role of Brs3 in different neuron types.
Analogies between neutron and gamma-ray imaging

Although the physics describing the interactions of neutrons with matter is quite different from that appropriate for hard x-rays and gamma rays, there are a number of similarities that allow analogous instruments to be developed for both types of ionizing radiation. A pinhole camera, for example, requires that the radiation obeys some form of geometrical optics, that a material can be found to absorb some of the radiation, and that a suitable position-sensitive detector can be built to record the spatial distribution of the incident radiation. Such conditions are met for photons and neutrons, even though the materials used are quite different. Neutron analogues of the coded-aperture gamma camera and the Compton camera have been demonstrated. Even though the Compton effect applies only to photons, neutrons undergo proton-recoil scattering that can provide similar directional information. There is also an analogy in the existence of an energy spectrum for the radiation used to produce the images, and which may allow different types of sources to be distinguished from each other and from background.
Analysis of Forming Limits in Biaxial and Dome Test

From centuries the metals and materials has been characterized using a traditional method called uniaxial tension test. The data acquired from this test found adequate for operations of simple forming where one axis stretching is dominant. Currently due to the demand of lightweight component production, multiple individual parts are eliminated by stamping in a single complex shape which further reduces many secondary operation. This need is driven by the requirement of 54 miles per gallon by 2025. Due to the complex part geometry, the forming method induces multi-axial stress states, which found difficult to predict using conventional tools. Thus to analyze these multi-axial stress states limiting dome height test and bulge test were recommended in many research. However, these tests limit the possibilities of applying multi-axial loading and resulting stress patterns due to contact surfaces. Thus a test machine called biaxial test is devised which would provide the capability to test the specimen in multi-axial stress states with varying load. In this paper, two processes, limiting dome test and biaxial test were modeled and compared. For this, the cruciform test specimens were used in biaxial test and conventional forming limit specimens for dome test. Variation of loadings were provided multi-axially in both test to capture the limit strain from uniaxial to equi-biaxial strain mode. In addition, the strain path, forming and formability was investigated and difference between the tests were provided.Copyright © 2017 by ASME
A Case of Myocarditis and Near-Lethal Arrhythmia Associated With Interleukin-2 Therapy:

We present a case of a 48-year-old female who developed myocarditis and near fatal arrhythmias during high dose Il-2 therapy for metastatic renal cancer. On day 5 of therapy, the patient developed sudden onset chest pain, elevated cardiac enzymes and ST segment changes on EKG. Coronary angiogram was normal, however echocardiogram showed reduced ejection fraction and hemodynamic measurements showed elevated bilateral elevated filling pressures. The patient then developed episodes of recurrent ventricular arrhythmia, precipitated by bradycardia and PVC, requiring defibrillation and temporary pacemaker placement. Endomycardial biopsy was nonspecific showing fibrosis with subsequent cardiac MRI showed evidence of myocardial edema, consistent with Il-2 induced myocarditis in the setting of no prior cardiac history. After the discontinuation of Il-2 therapy, the patient displayed clinical improvement as well as improved ejection fraction. This case brings attention to the cardiac toxicities associated with high dose Il-2 therapy including potentially lethal arrhythmias and highlights the importance of careful cardiac screening prior to initiation of treatment.
Dorsolateral Striatum Engagement Interferes with Early Discrimination Learning

Summary In current models, learning the relationship between environmental stimuli and the outcomes of actions involves both stimulus-driven and goal-directed systems, mediated in part by the DLS and DMS, respectively. However, though these models emphasize the importance of the DLS in governing actions after extensive experience has accumulated, there is growing evidence of DLS engagement from the onset of training. Here, we used in vivo photosilencing to reveal that DLS recruitment interferes with early touchscreen discrimination learning. We also show that the direct output pathway of the DLS is preferentially recruited and causally involved in early learning and find that silencing the normal contribution of the DLS produces plasticity-related alterations in a PL-DMS circuit. These data provide further evidence suggesting that the DLS is recruited in the construction of stimulus-elicited actions that ultimately automate behavior and liberate cognitive resources for other demands, but with a cost to performance at the outset of learning.
Student Perceptions of Classroom Learning Environments: Development of the ClassMaps Survey.

The purpose of this study was to describe the means, variability, internal consistency reliability, and structural validity evidence of the ClassMaps Survey, a measure of student perceptions of cla...
18F-Fallypride PET to monitor pancreatic beta cell loss in diabetes mellitus

1947 Objectives Our goal is to develop a non-invasive method to monitor β-cell loss in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) are present in rodent and human islets and co-localize with insulin granules. We report 18F-fallypride, a specific D2R ligand to image β-cells in a rat model. Methods For in vitro studies, Sprague-Dawley rat pancreas were isolated for sections and islets isolated with collagenase (Sigma Type V) and dextran purification. 18F-fallypride binding was evaluated in the absence/presence of 100 μM haloperidol. After iv 18F-fallypride (0.8-1 mCi) normal rats and streptozotocin (STZ) pretreated rats were imaged in an Inveon scanner and subsequently studied ex-vivo. Radiochromatography (TLC) performed on homogenized pancreas and brain was compared to a standard 18F-fallypride. Results 18F-fallypride binds to pancreas sections and isolated islet cells and is competed off by haloperidol, a D2R inhibitor, indicating specific binding. Depleting β-cells by treatment with STZ reduced 18F-fallypride binding by 70% and immunostain for insulin confirmed β-cell loss. Following iv 18F-fallypride administration, ex-vivo microPET imaging reveals 18F-fallypride in the pancreas. Brain had 0.15% and pancreas 0.05% injected dose (4 hrs pi) and TLC confirms the presence of 18F-fallypride in the pancreas. Co-administration of haloperidol or destruction of β-cells by STZ decreases pancreatic 18F-fallypride binding. Conclusions Our results suggest that 18F-fallypride may be a suitable tracer for PET-based monitoring of β-cell-loss in T1DM and provide tools to measure responsiveness to new therapies and evaluate efficiency of islet graft survival.
Immunocharacterization of the Nuclear Acceptor Sites for the Avian Oviduct Progesterone Receptor

It is well known that steroid hormones, certain vitamins and sterols, enter target cells and bind to specific protein receptors in the cytoplasm or nucleus (1–4). This binding is saturable, high affinity, and steroid specific. Once bound by the steroid, the receptor undergoes chemical/conformation change, termed “activation,” which enables the receptor (as a complex with the steroid) to bind to nuclear acceptor sites on the nuclear chromatin (5,6) or nuclear matrix (7,8). It is generally accepted that the binding of the steroid receptor complex to these nuclear acceptor sites is a prerequisite for the steroid regulation of gene transcription and possibly post-transcriptional events.
Adjusting Insulin Delivery to Activity (AIDA) clinical trial: Effects of activity‐based insulin profiles on glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND Increased daytime activity in children with type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with increased risk of hypoglycemia. OBJECTIVE To determine whether an automated weekly review of accelerometer, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and insulin pump data, could be used to identify children with increased risk of nighttime hypoglycemia and preemptively adjust the nighttime basal insulin profile according to daytime activity. RESEARCH AND DESIGN METHODS Clinical trial of children with T1DM on insulin pump and CGM therapy. Subjects at risk of nighttime hypoglycemia were identified from regression analysis of daytime step count vs nighttime nadir glucose. If the regression slope was significantly different from zero (P < 0.05) subjects were managed with different algorithm derived nighttime basal insulin profiles following high and low activity days. RESULTS Twenty children (median age: 12; range: 7-17 years) were enrolled. Regression slopes were significant in 10 children. In these children, baseline nighttime nadir glucose level was lower following high activity days (120 [110-139] vs 152 [130-162] mg/dL, P = 0.004). Use of activity-based nighttime basal profiles produced similar nighttime nadir glucose levels following high and low activity days (136 [123-175] vs 140 [108-180] mg/dL, P = 0.73) with fewer nighttime interventions to correct hypoglycemia (0 [0-0.16] vs 0.15 [0.13-0.22] per night, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION Children with lower nighttime glucose levels following high daytime activity can be identified using step count data obtained from readily available accelerometers and the nighttime glucose control improved using different activity-based basal profiles.
A Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling and Experimental Study of the Mixing Process for the Dispersion of the Synthetic Fibers in Wet-Lay Forming:

In this paper, we present results from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for the mixing process used to disperse synthetic fibers in wet-lay process. We used CFD software, FLUENT, together...
Growth and yield drivers of loblolly pine in the southeastern U.S.: A meta-analysis

Abstract An abundant amount of information has been accumulated over the past century on loblolly pine. However, few studies have been aimed at assembling this information. Three possible approaches can be used to synthesize available information on loblolly pine: a review paper in the form of a narrative discussion, systematic review compiling data in tables, and meta-analysis to statistically summarize data. The purpose of this research is to statistically synthesize suitable loblolly pine yield data in the southeastern United States using meta-analysis. There were 18 studies selected out of approximately 500 peer-reviewed papers, and three high-quality studies (one proceeding, one M.S. thesis, and one Ph.D. dissertation) evaluated, from which a database was compiled. Since forest growth has several drivers (i.e. age, site quality, genetics, density, and management) the use of meta-regression, a meta-analysis technique to account for variability associated with covariates, was used. Thus, meta-regression linear mixed effects yield models using the log-transformed Schumacher form, at the whole-stand level, were estimated as a function of the mentioned forest growth factors for diameter at breast height (DBH), height (Ht), basal area (BA), and volume (V). Overall, the estimated models suggest that these forest growth factors successfully explain yield variability. The Raudenbush’s pseudo-R2, which measures the amount of variation explained by the covariates, were 97, 94, 97, and 91%, for DBH, Ht, BA, and V models, respectively. However, the 95% confidence intervals (CI) of yield curves associated with some growth factor levels overlapped their corresponding reference level, suggesting no statistical differences at certain ages. In this sense, the CI’s width is driven mainly by the number of studies, and their number of replicates, available for factor levels. Thus, the lack of information of factor levels, and their combinations, was identified and suggested to be investigated in future research in order to achieve narrower CIs. Meta-analysis and meta-regression are promising techniques to be applied in forestry research to give insight into the effect of growth factors on forest yield.
Renal cell carcinoma with an emphasis on drug therapy of advanced disease, part 1.

Purpose. The diagnosis, staging, and management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are reviewed. The mechanism, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, clinical activity, and application of molecularly targeted agents in RCC are emphasized. Summary. RCC is the eighth most commonly diagnosed malignancy in the United States. The most common signs and symptoms are gross hematuria, flank pain, and the presence of a flank mass. Localized disease is found in about 55% of patients, 19% of patients have locally advanced disease, and 20% of patients have metastatic disease. Surgical resection is the mainstay of therapy for stage I–III RCC. The pharmacotherapy of RCC is undergoing significant change. Standard therapy used to include the cytokines interferon alfa and aldesleukin. High-dose aldesleukin is used to treat select patients. Its major value is the durability of responses in the few patients who achieve a complete remission. However, cytokines have been largely displaced by sorafenib tosylate, sunitinib malate, and temsirolimus due to their lower rates of toxicity and positive effects on progression-free survival. Bevacizumab has also shown activity in patients with advanced disease. Estimated five-year survival rates for patients with RCC are 89.6% for localized disease, 60.8% for regional disease, and 9.5% for patients with distant metastases. Studies are currently under way to assess the activity of combinations of available agents and new targeted agents as adjuvant therapy and for the management of advanced RCC. Conclusion. The options available for the management of advanced RCC have expanded considerably in the past five years with the advent of molecularly targeted therapies.
Oxidant or catalyst for oxidation? The role of manganese oxides in the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS)

Manganese oxides (MnOx) have been demonstrated to be effective materials to activate Oxone (i.e., PMS) to degrade various contaminants. However, the contribution of direct oxidation by MnOx to the total contaminant degradation under acidic conditions was often neglected in the published work, which has resulted in different and even conflicting interpretations of the reaction mechanisms. Here, the role of MnOx (as both oxidants and catalysts) in the activation of Oxone was briefly discussed. The findings offered new insights into the reaction mechanisms in PMS-MnOx and provided a more accurate approach to examine contaminant degradation for water/wastewater treatment.
Acute and Long-term Adverse Events Associated With Checkpoint Blockade.

Abstract Objective To provide an overview of the spectrum of immune-related adverse events associated with immune checkpoint therapy, including presentation, evaluation, management, and nursing considerations. Data Sources Peer-reviewed articles, published literature, national guidelines, Internet. Conclusion Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies are have become a therapeutic treatment options for many cancers. These therapies promote activity of a patient's adaptive immune system to eradicate cancer. The agents are associated with a unique side-effect profile called Immune-related adverse events. Most of these are low severity. However, if they become more severe, they can be life-threatening or result in permanent organ dysfunction. The key to optimizing therapies is collaborative monitoring, evaluation, documentation, management, communication. Implications for Nursing Practice Oncology nurses are the front line of patient care. Nurses must have a thorough understanding of the mechanism of action, potential immune-related adverse events, clinical implications, and management strategies. They are responsible for educating patients about immune checkpoint therapies and the potential side effects that may develop, triage management strategies, and coordination of care.
Small RNAs pack a punch in human kidney disease.

microRNAs play prominent regulatory roles by inducing target mRNA degradation or translational repression. Several studies have highlighted the power of microRNAs as biomarkers and potential mechanistic mediators of human kidney disease. Small RNA deep sequencing libraries can be generated from minute amounts of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues including specific tissue regions. Such analyses have unique advantages and may complement analyses of fresh kidney specimens to advance tissue functional genomics–based precision medicine for human kidney disease.
Efficient Correctness Testing of Linux Network Stack under Packet Dynamics

Network protocols are challenging to test for correctness due to the huge number of packet dynamics possibilities. Network simulators are popular in evaluating the performance of network protocols but unable to test the correctness under different packet dynamics efficiently. Random testing and symbolic execution are two effective automated correctness testing techniques that can explore different program execution possibilities. Random testing is simple and scalable in checking typical cases but often misses corner ones with low probabilities. Symbolic execution is more efficient in exploring these corner cases but suffers from the scalability problem. In this paper, we propose a testing platform built upon a network simulator by implementing a combination of symbolic execution and random testing to mitigate their limitations. Then we evaluate the efficiency of different techniques in testing Linux network stack under multiple possibilities of packet dynamics.
To Sustain or not to Sustain: Varying Educational Sessions on Advanced Imaging of Low Back Pain and R-SCAN.

Purpose The aim is to present our long-term institutional experience on the use of the American College of Radiology's (ACR's) Radiology Support, Communication, and Alignment Network (R-SCAN) via educational presentations and guideline dissemination in sustaining lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appropriateness for low back pain. Methods Initial educational presentations on appropriate use criteria for lumbar spine MRI were given to referring providers at three county clinics in April and May of 2016. A second educational refresher was given to the same 3 clinics in November 2017: Clinic A received guideline dissemination, Clinic B served as a control group, and Clinic C received a refresher presentation. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the monthly MRI referral rate and ACR Appropriateness Criteria rating. Results There was no significant difference in monthly referral rates and ACR Appropriateness Criteria after the second education. Monthly referral rates were significantly lower than the baseline rates before the first education for Clinic A (P Discussion After the second education, inappropriateness, and referral rates remained significantly lower when compared to rates before but not after the first education. Radiology Support, Communication, and Alignment Network is an invaluable online tool for both radiology practices and referring clinicians to become familiar in preparing to comply with the Protecting Access to Medicare Act and satisfying the Improvement Activities category of the Merit Based Incentive Payment Systems.
Area Efficient Functional Locking through Coarse Grained Runtime Reconfigurable Architectures

The protection of Intellectual Property (IP) has emerged as one of the most important issues in the hardware design industry. Most VLSI design companies are now fabless and need to protect their IP from being illegally distributed. One of the main approach to address this has been through logic locking. Logic locking prevents IPs from being reversed engineered as well as overbuilding the hardware circuit by untrusted foundries. One of the main problem with existing logic locking techniques is that the foundry has full access to the entire design including the logic locking mechanism. Because of the importance of this topic, continuous more robust locking mechanisms are proposed and equally fast new methods to break them appear. One alternative approach is to lock a circuit through omission. The main idea is to selectively map a portion of the IP onto an embedded FPGA (eFPGA). Because the foundry does not have access to the bitstream, the circuit cannot be used until programmed by the legitimate user. One of the main problems with this approach is the large overhead in terms of area and power, as well as timing degradation. Area is especially a concern for price sensitive applications. To address this, in this work we presents a method to map portions of a design onto a Coarse Grained Runtime Reconfigurable Architecture (CGRRA) such that multiple parts of a design can be hidden onto the CGRRA, substantially amortizing the area overhead introduced by the CGRRA.
Obesity-mortality link over the life course: the contribution of population compositional changes.

A key uncertainty in the obesity-mortality association continues to be how this association changes over the life course. Prior studies tend to rely on cross-sectional design with static weight sta...
Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography and Transient Optical Coherence Elastography: Side-by-Side Comparison of Repeatability and Accuracy

Objective: We compare the repeatability and accuracy of ultrasound shear wave elastography (USE) and transient optical coherence elastography (OCE). Methods: Elastic wave speed in gelatin phantoms and chicken breast was measured with USE and OCE and compared with uniaxial mechanical compression testing. Intra- and Inter-repeatability were analyzed using Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: OCE and USE differed from uniaxial testing by a mean absolute percent error of 8.92% and 16.9%, respectively, across eight phantoms of varying stiffness. Upper and lower limits of agreement for intrasample repeatability for USE and OCE were ±0.075 m/s and −0.14 m/s and 0.13 m/s, respectively. OCE and USE both had ICCs of 0.9991. In chicken breast, ICC for USE was 0.9385 and for OCE was 0.9924. Conclusion: OCE and USE can detect small speed changes and give comparable measurements. These measurements correspond well with uniaxial testing.
Does History Really Matter: Investigating Historical Branded Executions’ Effects on Contemporary Consumer Attitudes

Marketing executions (e.g., advertisements, packaging, and brand imagery) incorporating racial or ethnic stereotypes are present in many brands' histories. Over time, these executions have been updated to comport with societal norms, but much of the dated brand information remains accessible to consumers, especially via various digital platforms and archives. Over four studies, we investigate how exposure to these historical remnants affects contemporary consumers' held brand attitudes, showing that these executions have a detrimental influence in certain marketplace subsegments. Respondents generally report more negative brand attitudes upon exposure to the historical execution based on perceived offensiveness (Studies 1, 2, and 3). Study 4 rounds out these findings by identifying that offensiveness perceptions are differentially tied to how consumers (majority vs. minority) utilize their egalitarian beliefs.
Excellence examined

Excellence is a salient category of quality assessment across a vast range of applications. It invariably involves a complex criteriology that cannot be uniformly formalized, although it always pivots on a dialectical interaction between quantity and quality. In the end, however, the purpose of excellence-assessment is invariably functional, the evaluation at issue being made with a view to some purposive objective with respect to which quality matters.
Parent-child conflict and physical health trajectories among youth with asthma.

Abstract Objective To investigate the role of caregiver- and youth-reports of parent-child conflict on trajectories of asthma-related health outcomes over 2 years. Methods In a sample of 193 youth with asthma (42.7% female; M age = 12.78) and their primary caregivers, we used a multi-method and multi-informant approach to assess self-reported parent-child conflict from youth and caregivers at both the daily and global levels at baseline. Next, we annually assessed subjective (i.e., youth self-reported asthma symptoms) and clinical (i.e., peak flow) asthma health outcomes for 2 years. Results Latent growth curve models revealed an effect of baseline youth-reported global family conflict on peak flow trajectories such that youth who reported greater parent-child conflict at baseline experienced less of an increase in peak flow over time than youth who reported less parent-child conflict at baseline (standardized β = −0.27, p = .003). Conclusions Youth with asthma who perceive greater overall conflict with their caregivers experience less improvement in peak flow as they age. The research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Development of a Zn/MnO 2 Based Flexible Battery

A flexible battery based on zinc (anode) and manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) (cathode) as active materials was fabricated for wearable electronics. Carbon black was used as a conductive additive in the cathode to enhance the conductivity of MnO 2 . Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is saturated with zinc oxide (ZnO) and used as an electrolyte. A flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate was used to coat ink slurries for anode and cathode. Electrochemical performance of the battery was compared with coin-cell within range of 0.8 – 1.2 V. Flexible Zn/MnO 2 based battery demonstrated a capacity of 0.25 mAh along with a voltage potential of 1.1 V when discharged at 0.01C. Flexible battery exhibited a higher specific capacity of 80 mAh/g compared to 40 mAh/g for the coin-cell.
Developing A Large Time Step, Robust, and Low Communication Multi-Moment PDE Integration Scheme for Exascale Applications☆

Abstract The Boundary Averaged Multi-moment Constrained finite-Volume (BA-MCV) method is de- rived, explained, and evaluated for 1-D transport to assess accuracy, maximum stable time step (MSTS), oscillations for discontinuous data, and parallel communication burden. The BA-MCV scheme is altered from the original MCV scheme to compute the updates of point wise cell boundary derivatives entirely locally. Then it is altered such that boundary moments are replaced with the interface upwind value. The scheme is stable at a maximum stable CFL (MSCFL) value of one no matter how high-order the scheme is, giving significantly larger time steps than Galerkin methods, for which the MSCFL decreases nearly quadratically with in- creasing order. The BA-MCV method is compared against a SE method at varying order, both using the ADER-DT time discretization. BA-MCV error for a sine wave was comparable to the same order of accuracy for a SE method. The resulting large time step, multi-moment, low communication scheme is of great interest for exascale architectures.
Estimating the Union Wage Effect for Public School Teachers When All Teachers Are Unionized

The purpose of this paper is to quantify, as best as possible, the union wage effect achieved by the teachers' unions in Pennsylvania. As the legal right for local teachers' organizations to collectively bargain remains controlled by state legislatures, it tends to be the case that either all contracts in a state are collectively bargained locally or none are. Consequently, a wage regression cannot separately identify the union wage effect from a state-wide compensating differential. Instead of relying on interstate salary variation, therefore, intrastate salary variation will be analyzed. In particular, the minimum salary paid across a small group of geographically close, non-urban, and relatively homogeneous school districts will be taken as an upper bound on the competitive teacher salary for all such districts. This upper bound will then be used to place a lower bound on the union rent paid by each district.
Computer Relaying for Power Systems

This text/reference presents a comprehensive, up-to-date account of computer relaying in power systems, based in part on the author's extensive experience in the field. Provides background material on current relaying practices, and covers the mathematical foundations for relaying algorithms. Each chapter contains helpful illustrations, examples, and problems.
Proteasomes play an essential role in thymocyte apoptosis.

Abstract Cell death in many different organisms requires the activation of proteolytic cascades involving cytosolic proteases. Here we describe a novel requirement in thymocyte cell death for the 20S proteasome, a highly conserved multicatalytic protease found in all eukaryotes. Specific inhibitors of proteasome function blocked cell death induced by ionizing radiation, glucocorticoids or phorbol ester. In addition to inhibiting apoptosis, these signals prevented the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase that accompanies many cell deaths. Since overall rates of protein degradation were not altered significantly during cell death in thymocytes, these results suggest that the proteasome may either degrade regulatory protein(s) that normally inhibit the apoptotic pathway or may proteolytically activate protein(s) than promote cell death.
Mode Analysis and Mode Coupling of Electromagnetic Fields in Spatially Dispersive Media

The electrodynamics of a spatially dispersive medium filling the whole space has been the subject of many investigations. Pekar[1] in 1957 predicted many remarkable properties associated with such a medium. He showed that in a spatially dispersive medium the macroscopic polarization is connected to the electric field by a certain differential equation in spatial coordinates. Maxwell’s equations along with this new differential constitutive relation showed clearly the possibility of several waves being propagated in the medium with the same polarization and frequency but with different velocities. In such media, longitudinal waves with nonzero group velocity may also be generated. These and other interesting properties of spatial dispersion attracted a good deal of attention from both theoretical and experimental physicists. The works of Agranovich, Ginzburg[2], Pekar[1], Hopfield and Thomas[3] and others, show the connection of the theory of excitons with the theory of spatial dispersion. However the electrodynamics for bounded spatially dispersive media has been only poorly understood. The need for additional boundary conditions (a.b.c’s) to take account of the appearance of new waves in the medium resulted in a different set of a.b.c.’s, depending on various models employed.
An assessment of "free" and conjugated estriol in uncomplicated and complicated pregnancy plasma.

Abstract Determination of “free” and conjugated estriol was performed on serial plasma samples from 15 normal pregnancies and an equal number of those complicated with pre-eclampsia and/or hypertension. In both categories, the levels of circulating “free” estriol did not show an appreciable increase with progressing gestation but remained within a range of 1.2 to 5.5 μg per 100 ml. of plasma. “Free” estriol accounted for approximately 14 per cent of total estriol in the third trimester of pregnancy. One patient showed a dramatic increase in total estriol with the development of severe pre-eclampsia; however, the levels of “free” estriol remained virtually unchanged. A similar observation was made in one patient with hypertensive vascular disease. No increase in the proportion of the “free” estriol over the conjugated form was observed in pregnancies with impaired renal function. The over-all pattern of “free” and conjugated estriol in normal and toxemic pregnancies appears to be essentially the same.
Partitioning of 2,2',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl by the dissolved organic matter in oxic and anoxic porewaters

Until recently, the dissolved organic matter (DOM) of pore waters was an overlooked pool of organic matter important to the fate and transport of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs). The aqueous solubility enhancement and the porewater DOM partition coefficient (KPWDOM) of 2,2‘,4,4‘-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TeCB) were compared in samples of anoxic porewater and that same porewater after aeration. Aeration of anoxic porewater increased TeCB partitioning by porewater DOM. Despite a decrease in DOM concentration (coagulated by precipitated iron(III) oxidized during porewater aeration), oxic (aerated) porewaters had greater solubility enhancement and up to an order of magnitude larger KPWDOM than anoxic (unaltered) porewaters. Anoxic porewaters with no detectable dissolved oxygen and 45 mg/L dissolved iron(II) had the smallest TeCB solubility enhancement and KPWDOM. Using experimentally determined KPWDOM values, a three-phase equilibrium-partitioning model predicts the following: (1) the distribution of HOC fre...