cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening mammography: costs and use of screening-related services.

PURPOSE: To determine the costs and screening-related services in women undergoing screening mammography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study procedures were approved by the institutional committee for the protection of human subjects, and participants gave prior written consent. Data from a statewide mammography registry were used to identify imaging examinations, clinical consultations, interventional procedures, and pathology reports associated with screening mammography. The analysis included 99 064 women in the New Hampshire Mammography Network who underwent screening mammography between November 1, 1996, and March 31, 2000. Use of screening-related services in each case was tracked over an 18-month period, and procedure-specific national Medicare reimbursement rates from 2002 were applied for estimation of costs. Descriptive statistics (means, medians, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals, frequencies, and percentages of resources and of costs) were calculated. RESULTS: The majority of subjects (85 809, or 87%) underwent screening mammography only. Of the 13 255 (13%) who underwent diagnostic imaging, additional mammographic views were obtained in most at the time of screening, within days or weeks of screening, or at short-interval follow-up. The total cost was $12 287 739. Approximately 80% ($9 777 670) of the total cost was related to imaging, and 68% ($8 410 313), specifically to screening mammography. Twenty percent ($2 510 069) of the total cost was associated with consultation and interventional procedures in only 2942 (3%) of the women, primarily those who underwent biopsy. Procedures resulted in benign findings in 2247 (76%) of the 2942. Mean total direct medical costs per capita were low ($99) in women who underwent screening mammography only, moderate ($286) in women who also underwent diagnostic imaging, and substantially greater in women who underwent biopsy ($993). CONCLUSION: While the largest component cost of screening mammography is that incurred in obtaining screening views alone, the highest costs per capita are associated with interventional procedures.
Transcatheter closure of a residual postmyocardial infarction ventricular septal defect with the Amplatzer septal occluder

Acute ventricular septal rupture following myocardial infarction carries a high mortality. Early surgery improves survival but long term outcome depends on residual shunting and left ventricular function. Residual shunting is common despite apparently successful closure and may require reoperation. Transcatheter closure is an established method of treating selected congenital defects but clinical experience of transcatheter closure in postinfarction ventricular septal rupture is minimal. Transcatheter closure of a residual ventricular septal defect was successfully done using a new device, the Amplatzer septal occluder, in a 50 year old Indian man who had previously undergone emergency surgical repair for postinfarction acute ventricular septal rupture. The technique is described and its potential as a treatment in postinfarction ventricular septal rupture, its possible complications, and the important aspects of case selection and device design are discussed.
Lessons of War: Turning Data Into Decisions.

Abstract Background Recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq produced a substantial number of critically wounded service-members. We collected biomarker and clinical information from 73 patients who sustained 116 life-threatening combat wounds, and sought to determine if the data could be used to predict the likelihood of wound failure. Methods From each patient, we collected clinical information, serum, wound effluent, and tissue prior to and at each surgical debridement. Inflammatory cytokines were quantified in both the serum and effluent, as were gene expression targets. The primary outcome was successful wound healing. Computer intensive methods were used to derive prognostic models that were internally validated using target shuffling and cross-validation methods. A second cohort of eighteen critically injured civilian patients was evaluated to determine if similar inflammatory responses were observed. Findings The best-performing models enhanced clinical observation with biomarker data from the serum and wound effluent, an indicator that systemic inflammatory conditions contribute to local wound failure. A Random Forest model containing ten variables demonstrated the highest accuracy (AUC 0.79). Decision Curve Analysis indicated that the use of this model would improve clinical outcomes and reduce unnecessary surgical procedures. Civilian trauma patients demonstrated similar inflammatory responses and an equivalent wound failure rate, indicating that the model may be generalizable to civilian settings. Interpretation Using advanced analytics, we successfully codified clinical and biomarker data from combat patients into a potentially generalizable decision support tool. Analysis of inflammatory data from critically ill patients with acute injury may inform decision-making to improve clinical outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Funding United States Department of Defense Health Programs.
Precision electroweak experiments and heavy physics: An update

We update our previous global analysis of weak neutral current and {ital Z} and {ital W} data in which the parameters {ital h}{sub {ital V}} and {ital h}{sub {ital A}} associated with new heavy physics were constrained, by incorporating recent results on {ital Z} properties and {ital M}{sub {ital W}}. We obtain {minus}0.93{lt}{ital h}{sub {ital V}}{lt}0.33, {minus}1.9{lt}{ital h}{sub {ital A}{ital Z}}{lt}0.27, and {minus}2.5{lt}{ital h}{sub {ital A}{ital W}}{lt}1.5 at 90% C.L., considerably better than the previous limits.
Avoidance responses of fathead minnow to strikes by four teleost predators

Summary. 1. Predator avoidance behavior of fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) attacked by four teleosts (tiger musky, Esox sp; rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri', smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu; rock bass, Ambloplites rupestris) was analyzed using stop-action video-tape recordings of predator-prey interactions. The predators represented a range of body
Magnifying metamaterial lens design by coordinate transformation

We use the coordinate transformation technique to design metamaterial lenses that can magnify a two-dimensional planar image beyond the diffraction limit.
Product-specific sample clean-up and HPLC analysis of aflatoxins for a dietary product.

Introduction A sample clean-up procedure has been developed for a complex dietary ingredient, Unigen Inc. (Lacey, WA, USA) product A (a proprietary mixture of Scutellaria baicalensis and Acacia catechu extracts), for the determination of aflatoxins by HPLC. Objective To develop an appropriate sample specific clean-up procedure that removes interferences from the sample for the determination of total aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 at or lower than 20 ppb by HPLC. Methodology The sample specific clean-up procedure was developed based on the modification of AOAC method 990.33. Results Coextract interferences were removed with the clean-up procedure. The recovery of total aflatoxins was 70% with RSD about 2%; the LOD and LOQ were 1.6 and 5.2 ppb, respectively, for total aflatoxins; the linearity R2 > 0.99. None of the samples tested showed the presence of detectable aflatoxins. Conclusion The modified clean-up method was effective to remove coextract interferences from Unigen product A samples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ectopic sonic hedgehog signaling impairs telencephalic dorsal midline development: implication for human holoprosencephaly

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is the most common developmental anomaly of the human forebrain, and in its severe form, the cerebral hemispheres fail to completely separate into two distinct halves. Although disruption of ventral forebrain induction is thought to underlie most HPE cases, a subset of HPE patients exhibits preferential dysgenesis of forebrain dorsal midline structures with unknown etiology. In this study, we show that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) lacking cholesterol moiety in one allele (ShhN/+) in mice can elicit ectopic Shh signaling in early telencephalon to induce ventral progenitor marker expression in the cortical region and impair telencephalic dorsal midline development. Prolonged ectopic ShhN signaling impaired Bmp and Wnt signaling from the dorsal patterning center through upregulation of Fgf8, leading to augmented cell proliferation, decreased cell death and impaired roof plate morphogenesis. Accordingly, ShhN/+ mutant telencephalic dorsal midline structures, including cortical hem, hippocampus and choroid plexus, either failed to form or were hypoplastic. Strikingly, ShhN/+ mutants displayed a spectrum of phenotypic features such as failure of anterior cerebral hemisphere to divide, hydrocephalus and cleft palate which have been observed in a human patient with milder HPE predicted to produce SHHN protein due to a truncation mutation in one SHH allele. We propose that elevated ectopic Shh signaling can impair dorsal telencephalic midline morphogenesis, and lead to non-cleavage of midline structures mimicking human HPE with dorsal midline defects.
Taxicab Fuel Economy and Engine and Rear Axle Durability with Low-Viscosity and Friction-Modified Lubricants

Duree de vie de l'essieu arriere et du moteur et economie de carburant pour des taxis utilisant des lubrifiants a faible viscosite et modifiant le frottement
Oral Feeding of Probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis: Colonic Morphological Changes in Rat Model of TNBS-Induced Colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. It has been proposed that modifying the bacterial flora in intestine with probiotics may decrease the inflammatory process and prevent relapses in UC. We investigated the possible protective and therapeutic effects of a single strand of probiotic, Bifidobacterium infantis (BI), on colonic inflammation, in rats with regular feedings. Two groups of Lewis rats were prepared ( ). The first group was the control, sham-fed group ( ). The other group was the experimental BI-fed group ( ). Colitis was induced in both groups by intrarectal administration of TNBS under light anesthesia. The sham-fed colitis induced groups received a daily oral gavage feeding of 1.0 mL distilled water, whereas the B. infantis-fed group received 0.205 g of B. infantis dissolved in 1.0 mL distilled water daily. The change in body weight and food and water intake was recorded over the course of each study and analyzed. The rats were euthanized and tissues from the descending colon were harvested and analyzed microscopically and histologically. Results of our study indicated significant reduction in inflammation, mucosal damage, and preservation of goblet cells, as compared to the control animals. Modulation of gastrointestinal (GI) flora suggests a promising field in developing strategies for prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases by dietary modifications.
A Deployable Serrated Flap for Air Vehicle Control of a Representative UCAV Configuration

* Aerodynamicist, Code 4321, Advanced Aerodynamics Branch, Building 2187, Suite 1320B; gheeta@navair.navy.mil. Senior Member AIAA. This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. ABSTRACT A Deployable Serrated Flap (DSF) was conceived and tested for air vehicle control of a representative 4% Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV). Single, Tandem, and Tandem In Opposition Deployable Serrated Flaps were tested to establish the effect on air vehicle performance. The testing of the flow control devices was the final step in a series of experiments to utilize experimental and computational techniques to understand the flowfield environment on a representative lowobservable air vehicle and use that understanding to apply an efficient vortex flow control apparatus. A sixcomponent internal balance was then installed to measure aerodynamic forces and moments at a tunnel dynamic pressure of 43.3 psf. The results showed that the Single DSF, Tandem DSF, and Tandem DSF In Opposition were effective for an angle of attack range from 12 to 20 degrees in increasing lift-to-drag ratio and lift coefficient with and without deployed ailerons and flaps on the air vehicle. The Tandem DSF In Opposition had the greatest increase in lift coefficient. The serrations of the DSF were found to provide increases in the lift performance but were detrimental to lift-over-drag ratio when compared to an un-serrated flap. The devices were found to delay the angle of attack at which outer wing panel separation and wing vortex burst occurred.
Numerical Simulation of Wake Effect in Nets Under Steady Current

To accurately describe the dynamic response of aquaculture cages exposed to current loading, it is necessary to consider the reduction of fluid velocity due to the presence of the net. In this study, three wake models, originally developed for riser interaction, are applied to a cylindrical net to evaluate drag force, volume and projected area reduction when exposed to steady currents. The results are compared to available experimental data to validate the methodology and evaluate the wake models’ accuracy. The net has been modeled using the commercial software OrcaFlex. This tool is a fully nonlinear finite element software, capable to compute forces and displacements of the net when exposed to current and wave loading.Calculations were performed under a series of current speed and three ballast weight conditions. The effect of the number of elements used to describe the net is analyzed as well. Results without including wake effect show good agreement for drag force up to moderate current speeds.Nevertheless a significant improvement on drag force results was achieved when wake effect is included. Yet, at high current speed and heavier ballast, drag force is over predicted. Minor differences were found when different wake models are used. In addition, it is concluded that an increase on the number of elements shows no significant influence on drag force results. On the other hand, calculations for volume and projected area reduction get closer to experimental values. The findings confirm the relevance of wake effect on nets and serve as validation of the present numerical procedure.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Effect of Tripterygium Wilfordii Polyglycoside on Treating Refractory Skin Purpura in Children

Objective To explore the effect of tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside(TWP) on treating refractory skin purpura in children and in preventing the renal damage from Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP).Methods Sixty-seven cases of children with simple HSP,whose skin purpura continued to recur in spite of general treatment for 2 weeks and had no renal damage,were divided into 2 groups randomly.One was steroid group(n=32),receiving steroid therapy(prednisone 1 mg·kg-1·d-1,maximum dose60 mg·d-1,for 2 weeks).Another was tripterygium group(n=35),receiving TWP therapy(TWP 1 mg·kg-1·d-1,maximum dose45 mg·d-1,for 2 weeks).Then the treatment effect and the rate of HSP complications of the 2 groups were compared.The side effect of TWP was explored at the same time.Results 1.The treatment effect for skin purpura: The effective rate of steroid group was 62.50%,while tripterygium group was 85.71%(χ2=4.758,P0.05).The mean regression time of skin purpura of steroid group was(8.13±2.12) d,while tripterygium group was(5.63±1.97) d(t=5.003,P0.05).After therapy,the mean number of times of skin purpura recurrence in steroid group was(4.32±1.68) times,while tripterygium group was(3.01±2.14) times(t=2.769,P0.05).2.The complications and the side effect of TWP: The rate of renal damage,enteron and joints symptoms in steroid group were 18.75%,46.88% and 34.38%,respectively,while tripterygium group were 14.29%,28.57% and 17.14%,respectively.Significant differences were not found between the 2 groups(Pa0.05).Routine blood tests,liver and kidney function for patients who received TWP were normal.Conclusions TWP is effective in treating refractory skin purpura in children with HSP.And it is better than steroid therapy.And the short therapy of TWP is also effective in preventing renal damage from HSP,and it has no obvious side effect.
Adverse reaction of Chinese materia medica

In recent years the use of Chinese materia medica(CMM) has been increasing and the scope of the use of CMM expanding,so that the upward trend of adverse reaction incidence is going on.Based on the investigation of the side effect overview occurred,the reasons for adverse reactions,and the obserbation in clinical manifestation,the problems of adverse reaction appeared in the application of CMM have been described.As a result,the side effects of CMM could not be ignored.
Migration of a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt into the Pulmonary Vasculature: Case Report, Review of the Literature, and Surgical Pearls.

Background Ventriculoperitoneal shunts are prone to common complications such as infection or mechanical failure, but more insidious events can easily be missed. Distal shunt migration into the vascular system is a rarely observed phenomenon, and there are no established guidelines for its management. We present a case of a distal catheter migration into the pulmonary vasculature, review existing cases in the literature, and present recommendations for their management. Case Description A 71-year-old man presented to the clinic with normal pressure hydrocephalus. He underwent the laparoscopic placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Surgery was uneventful except for increased venous bleeding noted at the retroauricular incision. Three weeks later, the patient returned with worsening motor and cognitive symptoms. A shunt series showed distal migration of the catheter through his heart. Computed tomography of the chest confirmed the distal wedging of the tube into his pulmonary artery. The migrated shunt catheter was withdrawn in the operating room with the assistance of colleagues from general surgery without complication. Conclusions Although distal shunt migration into the heart and pulmonary vasculature is rare, early recognition is important and precautions should be taken to avoid potentially significant morbidity or mortality. Live fluoroscopic imaging and the help of specialty services can be of great assistance in safely removing the device. Early recognition of potential vascular injury signs during the subcutaneous tunneling procedure is also important.
Stress and Relaxation Among Aging Catholic Priests

ABSTRACTUsing semistructured interviews, this study considered how currently active priests (n = 18) perceived physical and cognitive changes of aging, stress in their lives, and self-care. Half summarized their ministry by choosing the statement, “I’m satisfied with my life, but sometimes the days are too long.” Most respondents found there were energy limitations with aging and reported health concerns that did not significantly limit pastoral activities. All were conscious of healthy self-care (diet, exercise, and medical care). Stress for most respondents came from pastoral demands of parishioners and hierarchs, their own demands for meeting the needs of all, and loneliness.
Electromigration and thermomigration in flip chip solder joints

The article consists of a Powerpoint presentation on electromigration and thermo migration in flip chip solder joints. The areas discussed include: electromigration; thermomigration; entropy production; microstructure refinement; flip chip solder joints; pancake-type void growth model; void formation; composite solder joint geometry; phase migration; non-isothermal aging; heat conduction and joule heating.
Hydrogenation of aqueous nitrate and nitrite with ruthenium catalysts

Abstract Historically, development of catalysts for treatment of nitrate-contaminated water has focused on supported Pd-based catalysts, but high costs of the Pd present a barrier to commercialization. As part of an effort to develop lower cost hydrogenation catalysts for water treatment applications, we investigated catalysts incorporating Ru with lower cost. Pseudo-first-order rate constants and turnover frequencies were determined for carbon- and alumina-supported Ru and demonstrated Ru’s high activity for hydrogenation of nitrate at ambient temperature and H2 pressure. Ex situ gas pretreatment of the catalysts was found to enhance nitrate reduction activity by removing catalyst surface contaminants and exposing highly reducible surface Ru oxides. Ru reduces nitrate selectively to ammonium, and no aqueous nitrite intermediate is observed during reactions. In contrast, reactions initiated with nitrite yield a mixture of two endproducts, with selectivity shifting from ammonium towards N2 at increasing initial aqueous nitrite concentrations. Experimental observation and Density Functional Theory calculations together support a reaction mechanism wherein sequential hydrogenation of nitrate to nitrite and NO is followed by parallel pathways involving the adsorbed NO: (1) sequential hydrogenation to ammonium, and (2) N–N coupling with aqueous nitrite followed by hydrogenation to the detected N2O intermediate and N2 endproduct. These findings open the door to development of alternative catalysts for purifying and recovering nutrients from nitrate-contaminated water sources, and insights into the controlling surface reaction mechanisms can guide rational design efforts aimed at increasing activity and tuning endproduct selectivity.
Levels of Excess Infant Deaths Attributable to Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy in the United States

Objectives: The objectives of the study were: 1) To determine the risk of infant mortality associated with prenatal cigarette smoking; 2) To assess whether the relationship, if existent, was dose-dependent; 3) To explore the morbidity pathway that explains the effect of tobacco smoke on infant mortality, and 4) to compute excess infant deaths attributable to maternal smoking in the United States. Methods: Retrospective cohort study on 3,004,616 singleton live births that occurred in 1997 in the United States using the US national linked birth/infant death data. Excess infant deaths due to maternal smoking were computed using the population-attributable risk (PAR). Results: Overall, 13.2% of pregnant women who delivered live births in 1997 smoked during pregnancy. The rate of infant mortality was 40% higher in this group as compared to nonsmoking gravidas (P < 0.0001). This risk increased with the amount of cigarettes consumed prenatally in a dose-dependent fashion (p for trend <0.0001). Small-for-gestational age rather than preterm birth is the main mechanism through which smoking causes excess infant mortality. We estimated that about 5% of infant deaths in the United States were attributable to maternal smoking while pregnant, with variations by race/ethnicity. The proportion of infant deaths attributable to maternal smoking was highest among American Indians at 13%, almost three times the national average. If pregnant smokers were to halt tobacco use a total of 986 infant deaths would be averted annually. Conclusions: Smoking during pregnancy accounts for a sizeable number of infant deaths in the United States. This highlights the need for infusion of more resources into existing smoking cessation campaigns in order to achieve higher quit rates, and substantially diminish current levels of smoking-associated infant deaths.
Introduction: A Model for Interdisciplinary Place-Based Learning

This introductory chapter provides a model for interdisciplinary, place-based learning in urban settings and virtual worlds. It explores how place-based learning can be implemented successfully through the lens of general education and through interdisciplinary courses that effectively use this pedagogical strategy at New York City College of Technology (City Tech). This chapter also covers pedagogical strategies for teams of teachers, as well as games for learning. Methods and examples of interdisciplinary studies that link seemingly disparate domains, including educational technology (e.g., role-playing games and simulations), are highlighted.
Phosphorus dynamics and phosphatase activity of soils under corn production with supplemental irrigation in humid coastal plain region, USA

A 3-year (2013–2015) field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management (NM) and three irrigation scheduling methods (IS): irrigator pro (IPro); normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) and soil water potentials (SWP) on phosphorus (P) dynamics and phosphatase activity in four Coastal Plains soil types (ST) at various growth stages (CS: V6, six leaves; V16, sixteen leaves; and R1, silking) of corn (Zea mays L.). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at two rates: 157 and 224 kg ha−1 through the irrigation system in three applications. Phosphorus dynamics and phosphatase activity varied significantly (p ≤ 0.0001) with year (Y), CS and ST, but not with NM. Phosphorus uptake of corn had an increase of about 1200% from V6 to R1. Both the Mehlich extractable P and water soluble P showed declining trends from V6 to R1. Concentration of P in pore water differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with IS in 2014 and 2015, but not in 2013. The order of the concentrations of P in pore water (averaged across ST) as affected by IS is as follows: 2013 (IPro = NDVI = SWP); 2014 (SWP = IPro < NDVI); and 2015 (IPro < NDVI < SWP). Concentration of phosphatase among the different ST was affected by CS, from V6 to R1 and soil depth, but not with NM. The difference in phosphatase concentration between the upper and lower soil horizons (averaged across Y and ST) was about 67.7 μg g−1 h−1. Our results have significant implication on P mobility, availability and management in areas where inputs of P in fertilizers may have had exceeded P output in harvested crops. Our results further suggest that understanding of P inputs and outputs which include P accumulation in soils and plants, as well as P losses is critical to determining the environmental balance and accountability of P in agricultural ecosystem. It is imperative to have a holistic understanding of P dynamics from soil to plant by optimizing P management and improving P-use efficiency.
Systematic review of infectious events with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Objective Ibrutinib is an irreversible inhibitor of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) in B lymphocytes as well as other kinases including interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) in CD4+ Th2 regulatory T cells. Increased infections have been observed in patients taking ibrutinib. The overall incidence has not been systematically evaluated. Methods The published literature and conference abstracts of prospective clinical trials using ibrutinib in hematologic malignancies were identified and reviewed using PubMed, Google Scholar, and HemOnc.org per PRISMA guidelines. Infectious events with a focus on pneumonia were collated per the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.03 grading. Results Infectious complications are common, occurring in 56% of patients taking single-agent ibrutinib and 52% of those on combination therapy. Approximately one in 5 patients developed pneumonia, which was the major contributor to a 2% rate of death from infections. Many of the cases of pneumonia were due to opportunistic pathogens. Conclusions Ibrutinib use requires prudent consideration of the impacts on host immunity. We identified a high rate of serious adverse infectious events within prospective clinical trials. Data suggest a role of both BTK and ITK inhibition for the increased events. There was considerable variability in the reporting of adverse events between trials, journals, and conference reports.
The Eclipse of Theon and Earth's Rotation

The solar eclipse of AD 364 June 16 described by Theon of Alexandria in his commentary on Ptolemy’s Almagest has been used to study the secular acceleration of the Moon and the long-term changes in the rate of rotation of the Earth since the first investigations of these topics. All previous studies of this eclipse have been based (directly or indirectly) upon the 1538 Basel edition of the Greek text of Theon. In this paper I discuss the implication for studies of the Earth’s rotation of a correction proposed by A. Rome in 1950 to the text of the passage describing this eclipse in the Basel edition.
The Evolution of a Nuclear Fuel Welding and Ultrasonic Inspection Machine for Improved Quality and Process Control

GE Nuclear Energy Production produces Nuclear Fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. The basic product of the GE Nuclear Fuel business is a fuel bundle made up of a square matrix (8x8), (9x9), or (10x10) of fuel rods in a spacer assembly surrounded by an outer channel. BWR nuclear power plants can have up to 700 bundles in their reactor at any one time. The fuel rod consisting of a tube loaded with UO2 pellets, and closed with welded endplugs is shown in figure 1. The integrity of the fuel rods is of great importance in order to keep radioactive materials out of the water systems. A rod failure (leak) that causes a customer to shutdown can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Initiation of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a patient receiving induction chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia.

BackgroundAcute respiratory failure is a leading cause of intensive care unit admission in patients with hematological malignancies; it carries a mortality rate exceeding 50%. Venovenous extracorpo...
The Clinical Picture of Psychosis in Manifest Huntington's Disease: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Enroll-HD Database.

Background: Psychotic symptoms have been under-investigated in Huntington’s disease (HD) and research is needed in order to elucidate the characteristics linked to the unique phenotype of HD patients presenting with psychosis. Objective: To evaluate the frequency and factors associated with psychosis in HD. Methods: Cross-sectional study including manifest individuals with HD from the Enroll-HD database. Both conventional statistical analysis (Stepwise Binary Logistic Regression) and five machine learning algorithms [Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO); Elastic Net; Support Vector Machines (SVM); Random Forest; and class-weighted SVM] were used to describe factors associated with psychosis in manifest HD patients. Results: Approximately 11% of patients with HD presented history of psychosis. Logistic regression analysis indicated that younger age at HD clinical diagnosis, lower number of CAG repeats, history of [alcohol use disorders, depression, violent/aggressive behavior and perseverative/obsessive behavior], lower total functional capacity score, and longer time to complete trail making test-B were associated with psychosis. All machine learning algorithms were significant (chi-square p<0.05) and capable of distinguishing individual HD patients with history of psychosis from those without a history of psychosis with prediction accuracy around 71-73%. The most relevant variables were similar to those found in the conventional analyses. Conclusions: Psychiatric and behavioral symptoms as well as poorer cognitive performance were related to psychosis in HD. In addition, psychosis was associated with lower number of CAG repeats and younger age at clinical diagnosis of HD, suggesting that these patients may represent a unique phenotype in the HD spectrum.
Comprehensive Nutrition Assessment before Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation in Chronically Ill Hospitalized Patients

Purpose Malnutrition is associated with mortality in hospitalized patients with heart failure. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition recommend a standardized set of diagnostic characteristics to identify malnutrition in clinical practice. This study sought to determine the impact of comprehensive nutrition assessment on outcomes in patients undergoing left ventricular assist device implantation (LVAD), focusing on chronically ill hospitalized patients. Methods From February 2009 to August 2018, 151 patients who received a nutritional assessment prior to LVAD implantation were retrospectively reviewed. The malnutrition score (MS) was determined from 0-3 based on weight loss, decreased energy intake, body fat depletion, and muscle mass depletion prior to surgery. Serum albumin level was also assessed as a nutrition marker. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on MS score and albumin level: a MS of 0 and albumin = 3.5 g/dL (Group 1, n = 68), a MS of 1-3 and albumin >= 3.5 g/dL (Group 2, n = 43), a MS of 1-3 and albumin Results All patients were chronically ill and deemed at risk of developing malnutrition. Median hospital stay before LVAD implant was 10 days (IQR 6 - 17). Median age of cohort was 61 years (IQR 52 - 69) and 129 (85%) were male. Ten (8.9%) were INTERMACS class 1, 63 (42%) required mechanical circulatory support prior to LVAD, and 87 (58%) were for destination therapy. Median preoperative albumin level was 3.7 g/ dL (IQR 3.3 - 3.95) and median MS was 1 (IQR 0 - 2). Overall in-hospital mortality was 10.7%. The preoperative albumin level ( = 3.5 g/ dL) did not affect the in-hospital mortality in the entire cohort (p = 0.77). Patients who had a positive MS tended to have higher mortality compared to patients with a MS of 0 (14.5% vs. 5.9%, p = 0.09). The in-hospital mortality was 5.9% in Group 1, 16.8% in Group 2, and 12.8% in Group 3 (p = 0.2). Median length of ICU stay was 8 days (IQR 6 - 11) in Group 1, 7 (IQR 5.75 - 11) in Group 2, and 7 (IQR 6 - 12) in Group 3 (p = 0.82). Conclusion Preoperative albumin level alone was not a useful marker to predict outcome in our cohort of chronically ill hospitalized patients. Routine comprehensive malnutrition assessment may help to identify high-risk cohort.
A PKD1L3 splice variant in taste buds is not cleaved at the G protein-coupled receptor proteolytic site.

Mutations in polycystin proteins PKD1 and TRPP2 lead to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. These two proteins form a receptor-ion channel complex on primary cilia. PKD1 undergoes an autoproteolysis at the N terminal G-protein-coupled receptor proteolytic site (GPS), which is essential for the function of PKD1. Whether GPS cleavage happens in other PKD proteins and its functional consequence has remained elusive. Here we studied the GPS cleavage of PKD1L3, a protein that associates with TRPP3 in taste cells and may play a role in sour taste. Our results show that PKD1L3 also undergoes GPS cleavage. Mutation at the GPS abolishes the cleavage, and the non-cleavable mutant does not traffic to the plasma membrane when associated with TRPP3. We also found that a splice variant of PKD1L3, which was originally identified in taste buds, is not cleaved. Amino acids L708 and S709, which are missing in this splice variant, are crucial for the GPS cleavage of PKD1L3 and the trafficking of the PKD1L3/TRPP3 complex. Our results gain insight into the molecular mechanism of the GPS cleavage of PKD1L3. The presence of the non-cleavable variant suggests the potential in vivo function of uncleaved PKD proteins.
Sensitivity of a biogeochemical model to the formulation of oyster filtration

Abstract Oysters directly impact water quality through filter feeding and have been extensively studied due to the potential ecological benefits of population restoration. Numerical models have been developed that simulate the environmental impact of oysters on estimating current water quality conditions and evaluating prospective restoration strategies. Accurately representing oyster filtration in these models is essential to their value as management tools. However, the formulation of filtration in response to environmental variables differs between models. Here we compare different formulations for filtration for the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from several studies (Cerco and Noel, 2005; Fulford et al., 2007; North et al., 2010 ; Ehrich and Harris, 2015), which use functions of temperature, salinity, and suspended solids concentration (TSS) to limit filtration rate. Using outputs from a water quality model with controlled forcing conditions we investigated how sensitive model output can be to the environmental limitation functions used. We found that due to feedback between TSS and filtration rate, the choice of TSS function caused significant variation in the model output beyond the scale of the differences in the functions themselves. From our results and a theoretical understanding of model construction, we discuss the implications for the accuracy of water quality models with oyster filtration and provide recommendations for future modeling efforts.
Panorama: a data system for unbounded vocabulary querying over video

Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) achieve state-of-the-art accuracy for many computer vision tasks. But using them for video monitoring applications incurs high computational cost and inference latency. Thus, recent works have studied how to improve system efficiency. But they largely focus on small "closed world" prediction vocabularies even though many applications in surveillance security, traffic analytics, etc. have an ever-growing set of target entities. We call this the "unbounded vocabulary" issue, and it is a key bottleneck for emerging video monitoring applications. We present the first data system for tacking this issue for video querying, Panorama. Our design philosophy is to build a unified and domain-agnostic system that lets application users generalize to unbounded vocabularies in an out-of-the-box manner without tedious manual re-training. To this end, we synthesize and innovate upon an array of techniques from the ML, vision, databases, and multimedia systems literature to devise a new system architecture. We also present techniques to ensure Panorama has high inference efficiency. Experiments with multiple real-world datasets show that Panorama can achieve between 2x to 20x higher efficiency than baseline approaches on in-vocabulary queries, while still yielding comparable accuracy and also generalizing well to unbounded vocabularies.
The Newly Active R Coronae Borealis Star, V2552 Ophiuchi

In 2001, V2552 Oph (CD −22°12017, Had V98) quickly faded by several magnitudes in a manner typical of the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. Photometry of V2552 Oph obtained over 70 years previous to 2001 shows no indication of variability. Optical spectra of this star subsequently confirmed that V2552 Oph is a member of the hydrogen‐deficient, carbon‐rich RCB class of variables. It resembles the warm (Teff~7000 K) RCB stars such as R Coronae Borealis itself. Other RCB stars, such as XX Cam and Y Mus, have experienced similar periods of inactivity, going decades without significant dust formation. Further observations of V2552 Oph will be of great interest since there is an opportunity to monitor an RCB star that may be moving from prolonged inactivity into an active phase of dust production.
An Overview of Health Care Worker Reported Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: As of May 13, 2020, 1004 health care worker (HCW) deaths due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported globally. This study seeks to organize deaths by demographic group, including age, gender, country, and occupation. Methods: We collected data from a crowdsourced list of global HCW COVID-19 deaths published by Medscape, including age, gender, country, occupation, and physician specialty. Results: As of May 13, 2020, of 1004 HCW deaths, 550 were physicians. The average age of physician death is 62.49, skewed right, and nonphysician is 52.62, approximately symmetrical. The majority of U.S. HCW deaths are male (64.1%). General practitioners and family medicine and primary care physicians account for 26.9% of physician deaths. Anesthesiologists and emergency medicine and critical care physicians account for 7.4%. The United States has the highest number of HCW deaths but a similar number as a fraction of national cases and deaths compared with other developed countries. Conclusions: Among HCWs globally, in the United States there have been more reported deaths of physicians, primary care physicians, males, and HCWs versus opposing groups. Further research is needed to understand relative risks of death due to COVID-19 in each of these demographic groups.
Characterization of α2-Adrenergic Receptors Mediated Vasoconstriction in ex vivo model

Introductionrat tail serves as a thermoregulatory organ by dilating or constricting tail blood vessels and rat tail lateral veins play a role in cutaneous circulation. However, this cutaneous vessel has never been examined and evaluated as a potential candidate ex vivo model to study peripheral vascular diseases. This study aims to investigate vascular tone mediated through 2-adenergic receptor on rat tail vein under different temperatures. MethodsVasoconstriction stimulated by 2-adrenergic receptor selective agonists UK14304, guanabenz was thoroughly examined in isolated rat tail lateral vein. Susceptibility of cutaneous vessel to temperature changes was investigated under 37 {degrees}C and 28 {degrees}C. Differentiated vascular reactivity exhibited at different temperature was further explored with different 2-adrenergic receptor selective agonists and validated with antagonism by 1-adrenergic receptor and 2-adrenergic receptor selective antagonist prazosin and RX821002, respectively. ResultsVascular tone of freshly isolated vein remained same compared with that of stored in pre-gassed physiologic buffer at 4 {degrees}C overnight. Presence of endothelium and repeated administration of UK14304 did not alter contractile property. Vessels away from torso (distal) showed significantly different contractile character compared with portion close to torso (proximal) at 28 {degrees}C but kept uniform at 37 {degrees}C. Enhanced vasoconstriction along with increased potency of 2-adrenergic receptor agonists UK14304 and guanabenz was consistently present at 28 {degrees}C, independent of temperature change orders. Potentiated vasoconstriction present at 28 {degrees}C was later proved via 2-adrenergic receptor alone. DiscussionHarvest and preparation of rat tail lateral vein was described in details. Contractile property of venous preparations stimulated by 2-adrenergic receptor selective agonists was first time examined. Differentiated vasoconstriction at moderate cooling temperature was described and confirmed to through 2-adrenergic receptor activation. Rat tail lateral vein is found valuable for studies of cutaneous circulation altered by temperature changes.
Ascertaining differences between farmer and non-farmer African American forest landowners in Georgia, United States

Abstract Despite the importance of farming to rural African Americans (Gilbert et al., 2002) and the role of farmers in forestland ownership, very little literature addresses the role of African American farmers in forestry. This research, based on a survey of seventy African American forest landowners in Georgia, United States, seeks to remedy this gap in the literature by exploring three research questions. First, does the absence of farms among participants affect the characterization of African American forest landowners in the literature? Second, do heirs’ property issues affect farmer forest landowners to the same degree they affect non-farmers? Third, are there significant differences in management activity between farmer and non-farm African American forest landowners? Our results suggest that farmers are less gender diverse and less well educated than non-farmers. Farmers are significantly less likely to have heirs’ property issues. Farmers are also more likely to consider passing their land on an important management goal, and overall are less likely to practice forestry-specific management. We consider these findings an important first step to understanding the role of farmers among African American forest landowners in the Southern United States and believe they will help direct future program and policy planning.
The Surface Chemistry and Structure of Colloidal Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

ConspectusSince the initial discovery of colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, there has been significant interest placed on these semiconductors because of their remarkable optoelectronic properties, including very high photoluminescence quantum yields, narrow size- and composition-tunable emission over a wide color gamut, defect tolerance, and suppressed blinking. These material attributes have made them attractive components for next-generation solar cells, light emitting diodes, low-threshold lasers, single photon emitters, and X-ray scintillators. While a great deal of research has gone into the various applications of colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, comparatively little work has focused on the fundamental surface chemistry of these materials. While the surface chemistry of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals is generally affected by their particle morphology, surface stoichiometry, and organic ligands that contribute to the first coordination sphere of their surface atoms, these attributes are markedly different in lead halide perovskite nanocrystals because of their ionicity.In this Account, emerging work on the surface chemistry of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals is highlighted, with a particular focus placed on the most-studied composition of CsPbBr3. We begin with an in-depth exploration of the native surface chemistry of as-prepared, 0-D cuboidal CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, including an atomistic description of their surface termini, vacancies, and ionic bonding with ligands. We then proceed to discuss various post-synthetic surface treatments that have been developed to increase the photoluminescence quantum yields and stability of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, including the use of tetraalkylammonium bromides, metal bromides, zwitterions, and phosphonic acids, and how these various ligands are known to bind to the nanocrystal surface. To underscore the effect of post-synthetic surface treatments on the application of these materials, we focus on lead halide perovskite nanocrystal-based light emitting diodes, and the positive effect of various surface treatments on external quantum efficiencies. We also discuss the current state-of-the-art in the surface chemistry of 1-D nanowires and 2-D nanoplatelets of CsPbBr3, which are more quantum confined than the corresponding cuboidal nanocrystals but also generally possess a higher defect density because of their increased surface area-to-volume ratios.
EUFicient Reachability in Software with Arrays

Whether representing strings, heap objects, or numerical vectors, arrays are pervasive in software. Unfortunately, while several software model checkers support arrays, they tend to struggle with many array-manipulating programs due to work expended generating theory lemmas that are ultimately irrelevant or redundant. By judicious abstraction of array operations to the logic of equality with uninterpreted functions (EUF), we show that we can directly reason about array reads and adaptively learn lemmas about array writes leading to significant performance improvements over existing approaches. We find that our model checker solves more than 100 more SV-COMP benchmarks than SPACER, a leading model checker.
Discrete-Time Stochastic Processes

Here we start to extend the concept of random variables to families of random variables \((f_t)_{t\in T}\) where the index set is either \({T=\,{\textsf {I\!\!\!Z}}}\) (\({\,{\textsf {I\!\!\!N}}}\)) or \({\,{\textsf {I\!\!\!R}}}\) (\({\,{\textsf {I\!\!\!R}}_+}\)). The first case represents discrete-time stochastic processes, the second case represents continuous-time stochastic processes. We thus progress up through the general classification of families of random variables.