cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sacrospinous ligament fixation for neovaginal prolapse prevention in male-to-female surgery.

OBJECTIVES To report our experiences of vaginal sacrospinous ligament fixation after vaginoplasty in male transsexual patients with the aim of preventing its postoperative prolapse. METHODS From August 1997 through November 2005, a total of 62 male transsexual patients (mean age 26 years, range 18 to 58) underwent sacrospinous ligament fixation for neovaginal prolapse during male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. The neovagina was created from a penile skin tube flap combined with a urethral flap. A deep and wide perineal cavity between the urethra, bladder, and rectum was created by dissection of the tendineous center and rectourethral muscle. The right pararectal space was opened by penetrating the right pararectal fascia (rectal pillar) and right ischial spine was palpated. Using the ischial spine as a prominent landmark, the sacrospinous ligament was palpated. Long-handled Deschamps ligature was used to pierce the ligament medially to the ischial spine. Vaginopexy to the sacrospinous ligament was performed, and the neovagina was placed deep in the perineal cavity. RESULTS The median follow-up was 32 months (range 7 to 102). Sacrospinous ligament fixation was successfully performed in all patients. The mean vaginal length was 10.7 cm (range 9.5 to 16). Of the 62 patients, 42 (76%) were able to have normal sexual intercourse. The appearance of the neovagina was aesthetically acceptable in 52 patients. In 3 cases, a minor bulge of the anterior vaginal wall was easily resolved by simple excision. CONCLUSIONS Vaginal sacrospinous fixation is feasible in male transsexuals for neovaginal prolapse prevention. However, extensive experience with male pelvic surgery is required to avoid possible complications.
Epistaxis in children with vascular malformations—commentary of two cases and literature review

Vascular anomalies can cause epistaxis in children. The authors present two cases of recurrent epistaxis secondary to rare causes and discuss their presentations. Both cases were managed conservatively since intervention in these vascular lesions carries a high risk of damaging adjacent structures.
Differentiation of cardiac masses by CMR: judging a character by the company it keeps.

Noninvasive cardiac imaging specialists are the detectives of the cardiology world. Using different modalities and techniques, we are able to piece together clues and use circumstantial evidence to deduce the likely culprit. Like all investigators, we are subject to our own intrinsic biases; however
Effects of the initial temperature of acrylic bone cement liquid monomer on the properties of the stem-cement interface and cement polymerization.

It has been shown that preheating the femoral stem prior to insertion minimizes interfacial porosity at the stem–cement interface. In this study, the effects of methylmethacrylate monomer temperature prior to mixing on the properties of stem–cement interface and cement polymerization were evaluated for 4 °C, room temperature, and 37 °C using a test model and cementing techniques that simulated a clinical situation. The nature and extent of interfacial porosity of stem–cement interface was quantified, the static shear strength of the stem–cement interface determined, and the time and temperature of polymerization at the cement–bone interface were measured. Compared to RT monomer, preheating monomer to 37 °C produced higher polymerization temperatures and greater initial interfacial shear strength with an unchanged amount of interfacial porosity. Precooling monomer to 4 °C produced lower polymerization temperatures and decreased initial interfacial shear strength, with the amount of interfacial porosity unchanged compared to the RT group. Although clinical techniques of preheating or precooling bone cement have some effects on the properties of the stem–cement interface and cement polymerization, they do not appear to enhance implant fixation. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 68B: 186–190, 2004
Production of heavy actinides from interactions of O-16, O-18, Ne-20, and Ne-22 with Cm-248

We have measured cross sections for the production of isotopes of Bk through No in bombardments of $^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$ with $^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{18}\mathrm{O}$, $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$, and $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ ions at energies near the Coulomb barrier. In general, the peak of the mass-yield curve for each element is about two mass units larger for $^{18}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ than for $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$, reflecting the neutron excess of the projectiles. The production cross sections and maxima of the actinide isotopic distributions are at least as favorable for production of neutron-rich actinides as those measured for irradiation of $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ and $^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$ with very heavy ions. The observation of so many neutron-rich products between the masses of the target and compound nucleus suggests a direct transfer reaction in which the product nuclide is formed with relatively low excitation which minimizes depletion from prompt fission.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{248}\mathrm{Cm}$($^{16,18}\mathrm{O}$,$X$), ($^{20,22}\mathrm{Ne}$,$X$) $E(^{16,18}\mathrm{O})=98, 97$ MeV, $E(^{20,22}\mathrm{Ne}=115, 116 \mathrm{MeV})$; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ and isotopic distributions for $Z=97\ensuremath{-}102$.
Viscoplasticity and Creep of Three-Bar Linkage

In spite of the structure analyzed, one is able to obtain a good understanding towards the complicated material behavior investigated herein. Numerical difficulty considerations, due to material nonlinearity and time dependency, display themselves within the analysis which usually can be associated with a more complex undertaking. Yet, a method of attack has been determined and carried out very efficiently.
Discriminant Validity of a Product-Anchored Self-Concept Measure:

The effect of several factors on the validity of a product-anchored self-concept measure is examined. Though the measure is not affected by product order or subject's attitude toward the task, it i...
Some effects of large doses of ergot products on rats.

SummaryThe effect of several dihydrogenated derivatives of ergot were studied on rate of growth, production of gangrene and survival, as compared with ergotamine tartrate. None of these materials inhibited growth consistently; none inhibited growth as much as ergotamine tartrate. None of the dihydrogenated derivaties caused gangrene; in contrast, ergotamine produced gangrene in 80% of the rats. The survival of rats receiving ergot alkaloids or dihydrogenated ergot derivatives was equal to or better than that of the controls.
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Child Sexual Abuse Victimization and Sexual Aggression Perpetration in Male College Students

Although numerous studies document a link between child sexual abuse and later sexual assault perpetration in men, little research has examined why this relationship exists. One potential mechanism may be emotional regulation difficulties. The current study utilizes a college sample of 132 men to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties on the relationship between experiencing child sexual abuse and later sexual aggression. Although emotion regulation difficulties in general was not significantly related to sexual aggression, one facet, impulse control difficulties, emerged as a significant mediator of the relationship between child sexual abuse and sexual aggression. Intervention programs should focus on the care that children receive following sexual abuse, with particular emphasis on how emotion regulation abilities may be impacted.
The use of tacrolimus in refractory autoimmune hepatitis in children and adults: a single center experience

To the Editor,We read with interest the article by Than et al. [1] published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. An analysis of 17 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients from two tertiary liv...
Whole glove permeation of cyclohexanol through disposable nitrile gloves on a dextrous robot hand and comparison with the modified closed-loop ASTM F739 method 1. No fist clenching.

ABSTRACTThe aim was to develop a whole glove permeation method for cyclohexanol to generate permeation parameter data for a non-moving dextrous robot hand (normalized breakthrough time tb, standardized breakthrough time ts, steady state permeation rate Ps, and diffusion coefficient D). Four types of disposable powderless, unsupported, and unlined nitrile gloves from the same producer were investigated: Safeskin Blue and Kimtech Science Blue, Purple, and Sterling. The whole glove method developed involved a peristaltic pump for water circulation through chemically resistant Viton tubing to continually wash the inner surface of the test glove via holes in the tubing, a dextrous robot hand operated by a microprocessor, a chemically protective nitrile glove to protect the robot hand, an incubator to maintain 35°C temperature, and a hot plate to maintain 35°C at the sampling point of the circulating water. Aliquots of 1.0 mL were sampled at regular time intervals for the first 60 min followed by removal of 0.5...
Integration of Genomic and Genetic Approaches Highlight a Novel Validated Gene Signature for Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract Abstract 511 Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) associated with increased mortality. Gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and genetic strategies have been studied in pulmonary arterial hypertension and in SCD. We hypothesized that a PBMC-derived gene signature in SCD patients may be utilized as a PH biomarker which may be further validated using integrated genomic and genetic strategies. Methods & Results: Twenty-seven patients with homozygous SCD underwent transthoracic echocardiography and PBMC isolation for genome—wide expression profiling. An independent SCD cohort (n=132) was genotyped using Affymetrix 6.0 SNP array and also underwent TTE. PH was defined as estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP)>30 mmHg with a peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV)>2.5m/s. Genome-wide mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were correlated against PH severity using RVSP (correlation coefficient ρR) and TRV (ρT) as surrogates. Utilizing a correlation threshold (ρR2>0.15, ρT2>0.15) for prioritization yielded 631 transcripts and 12 miRNAs. A support vector machine analysis on the transcripts identified a 10 gene signature which discriminated patients with and without echo-defined PH with 100% accuracy. This gene signature was then validated in an independent cohort of SCD patients with PH confirmed by right heart catheterization (n=10) and without PH (n=10) with 90% accuracy. In silico analyses of the top PH-related miRNAs revealed strong binding predictions of miR-301a to polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 13 (GALNT13), a PH signature gene, which was further validated by microarray data confirming correlation between miR-301a and GALNT13 expression (p=0.024). Genome-wide association study in 132 adult SCD patients comparing echo-defined PH (n=51) versus no PH (n=81) revealed 12 significant SNPs, which were within or upstream to the PH signature genes ( Table 1 , P Table I . Top SNPs associated with PH signature genes and echo-defined PH SNP PH Signature Gene Minor Allele Minor Allele Frequency P Value Odds Ratio Frequency- SCD PH cases Frequency- SCD controls Position rs799813 GALNT13 G 0.2073 0.0009 0.2804 0.102 0.277 Intronic rs6701513 PREFLP G 0.2652 0.0020 2.374 0.3627 0.2037 Upstream rs4664705 GALNT13 T 0.3664 0.0028 2.238 0.47 0.3025 Upstream rs10920634 PREFLP T 0.3598 0.0035 2.217 0.451 0.3025 Upstream rs16851575 PREFLP C 0.375 0.0047 0.4489 0.2941 0.4259 Upstream rs2794452 PRELP C 0.4615 0.0049 0.4733 0.3431 0.538 Upstream rs4664706 GALNT13 A 0.3674 0.0065 2.071 0.4608 0.3086 Upstream rs7603830 GALNT13 A 0.4237 0.0070 0.4828 0.32 0.4877 Upstream rs799761 GALNT13 G 0.4962 0.0094 1.963 0.598 0.4321 Intronic rs16834781 GALNT13 T 0.2 0.01 0.3713 0.1196 0.25 Intronic rs16834331 GALNT13 A 0.1364 0.01 0.3223 0.06863 0.179 Upstream rs3818943 PREFLP G 0.4735 0.01 0.5007 0.402 0.5185 Upstream Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Investigation of Distortion-Induced Web-Gap Cracking in a Seismically Retrofitted Steel Bridge: Repair Measures

AbstractThis paper studies distortion-induced fatigue cracks in a 1960s-era welded plate girder bridge that developed cracks in the web-gap region shortly after completion of a comprehensive seismic retrofit. Finite-element analysis (FEA) and field testing were conducted to investigate the cause of cracking and then to recommend appropriate repair measures for the bridge. The field test results validated the high-stress concentrations in the web-gap region of the bridge that led to fatigue cracking after only a limited number of cycles. FEA results indicated that the high-stress concentrations were principally a result of replacing K-type diaphragms with stiffer cross diaphragms as part of the seismic retrofit. Two conventional repair measures in addition to two innovative repair measures were evaluated. The proposed innovative repair measures focused on ease of installation compared with more conventional options and were found to reduce the distortion-induced stresses well below the constant amplitude f...
MULTI-LAYER PERCEPTRON LEARNING FOR DESIGN PROBLEM SOLVING

A model of machine learning in engineering design, called PERHID, is presented based on the concept of perceptron learning with a two-layer neural network. PERHID has been constructed by combining perceptron with a single-layer AND neural net.
Determination of Hydrologic Frequency Factor

Graphical method for determination of frequency factor in log-normal distribution of hydrologic data is described; graphical procedure is simpler and it produces results with less effort than analytical method; method described is illustrated with numerical example.
Keynote speech 2: Where does the far field of an antenna starts?

The far field of an antenna is generally considered to be the region where the outgoing wavefront is planar and the antenna radiation pattern has a polar variation and is independent of the distance from the antenna. Hence, to generate a locally plane wave in the far field the radial component of the electric field must be negligible compared to the transverse component. Also, the ratio of the electric and the magnetic far fields should equal the intrinsic impedance of the medium. These two requirements: namely that the radial component of the field should be negligible when compared with the transverse component and the ratio of the electric and the magnetic fields equal the intrinsic impedance of the medium must hold in all angular directions from the antenna. So to determine the starting distance for the far field we need to examine the simultaneous satisfaction of these two properties for all angular directions. It is widely stated in the antenna literature that the far field of an antenna operating in free space, where all the above properties must hold, starts from a distance of 2*D*D/wavelength, where D is the maximum dimension of the antenna. The objective of the presentation can be summarized in three points: First, this presentation intends to illustrate that the above formula is not universally valid. Second, this presentation intends to compute a more universal bound. Third, this preentation intends to properly interpret D in the above formula when the antenna is operating over an imperfect ground plane. In this case D is defined in terms of the height of the antenna located over the ground, which is related to the effective aperture size and not necessarily to the dimension of the antenna. In addition, since we focus our attention on the prediction of the fields primarily near the Earth-air interface, a modification of this general formula is possible. Particularly, the far fields start at a distance dictated by the height of the transmitting and the receiving antennas and also depends on the ratio of the radial to the azimuth component of the fields. This is because the higher the antenna is located over the ground the greater is the radial component of the field near the ground and so the radiating fields do not form a locally plane wave at close distances to the antenna even though the ratio of the electric and the magnetic fields settle down to the intrinsic impedance of the medium rather quickly as one moves away from the antenna. Numerical results are presented to illustrate these points.
Fundamentals of Robust Representations

This chapter presents the fundamentals of robust representations. In particular, we provide a brief overview of existing representation learning and robust representation methods. The advantages and disadvantages of these existing methods are also discussed.
Women on Corporate Boards: Examining Their Impact on the Quantity and Quality of Divestitures

We develop and test a theoretical model on the impact of female directors on corporate divestitures. Drawing on self-categorization theory and team diversity research, we posit that the presence of...
Transparent indium-tin oxide/indium-gallium-zinc oxide Schottky diodes formed by gradient oxygen doping

Amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) is promising for transparent electronics due to its high carrier mobility and optical transparency. However, most metal/a-IGZO junctions are ohmic due to the Fermi-level pinning at the interface, restricting their device applications. Here, we report that indium-tin oxide/a-IGZO Schottky diodes can be formed by gradient oxygen doping in the a-IGZO layer that would otherwise form an ohmic contact. Making use of back-to-back a-IGZO Schottky junctions, a transparent IGZO permeable metal-base transistor is also demonstrated with a high common-base gain.
Stranger in a Strange Land: Using Heterotopic Transplantations to Study Nature vs Nurture in Brain Development

The mammalian brain develops from a simple sheet of neuroepithelial cells into an incredibly complex structure containing billions of neurons with trillions of synapses. Understanding how intrinsic genetic programs interact with environmental cues to generate neuronal diversity and proper connectivity is one of the most daunting challenges in developmental biology. We recently explored this issue in forebrain GABAergic inhibitory interneurons, an extremely diverse population of neurons that are classified into distinct subtypes based on morphology, neurochemical markers, and electrophysiological properties. Immature interneurons were harvested from one brain region and transplanted into a different region, allowing us to assess how challenging cells in a new environment affected their fate. Do these grafted cells adopt characteristics of the host environment or retain features from the donor environment? We found that the proportion of interneuron subgroups is determined by the host region, but some interneuron subtypes maintain features attributable to the donor environment. In this commentary, I expound on potential mechanisms that could underlie these observations and explore the implications of these findings in a greater context of developmental neuroscience.
Effect-Directed Analysis of Mutagens in Ambient Airborne Particles

This chapter reviews the major advances and challenges in effect-directed analysis (EDA) of mutagenic chemicals in ambient airborne particles. Mutagens are chemicals that can cause mutations – inheritable changes in the genetic code that can give rise to adverse health effects. The majority of studies dealing with EDA of mutagens in airborne particles combine liquid chromatographic fractionation of particle extracts with short-term mutagenicity assays and chemical analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A variety of bacterial and human-cell lines with different metabolic capabilities have been used, allowing the measurement of different classes of chemical mutagens. The mutagens most frequently detected in non-polar and semi-polar fractions of airborne particles include unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and substituted PAH, such as alkyl-PAH, nitro-PAH, hydroxynitro-PAH, nitro-PAH lactones, and PAH ketones. These compounds account for <20–25% of the total mutagenicity of unfractionated samples. The remaining mutagenicity is present in fractions containing more polar compounds. Analytical challenges that have slowed the pace of mutagen identification include the chemical complexity of particle extracts and their fractions, relative paucity of reference standards (particularly polar compounds), and interaction effects among sample constituents. The use of other genotoxicity measures, such as DNA-adduct formation and DNA damage, may help to identify the most important genotoxic compounds in airborne particles. Similarly, EDA studies of size-fractionated airborne particles may help to identify mutagens and other genotoxic chemicals in those size fractions most relevant to human health.
Central Considerations in Initiating and Operating Programmes in Integrated Coastal Management

Integrated coastal management can be defined as a continuous and dynamic process by which decisions are made for the sustainable use, development, and protection of coastal and marine areas and resources. First and foremost, the process is designed to overcome the fragmentation inherent in both the sectoral management approach and the splits in jurisdiction among levels of government at the land-water interface. This is done by ensuring that the decisions of all sectors (e.g., fisheries, oil and gas production, water quality) and all levels of government are harmonized and consistent with the coastal policies of the nation in question. A key part of ICM is the design of institutional processes to accomplish this harmonization in a politically acceptable manner.
Analysis of Oil Shale Products and Effluents Using a Multitechnique Approach

Oil shale reserves of the Green River formation in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming have the potential to provide anywhere from 300 million to 2 trillion barrels of oil, depending on the various economic, technical and environmental assumptions made in the estimate. Even the lower very conservative figure amounts to more than five times the United States’ proved petroleum reserves, and moderate estimates of 600-800 billion barrels compare favorably with both the United States’ coal reserves and the entire world’s proved reserves of petroleum. Thus, if the technological, economic and political barriers to the production of shale oil can be overcome, oil shale could become an important source of precious liquid hydrocarbons.
Boosting Face in Video Recognition via CNN Based Key Frame Extraction

Face in video recognition (FiVR) technology is widely applied in various fields such as video analytics and real-time video surveillance. However, FiVR technology also faces the challenges of high-volume video data, real-time processing requirement, as well as improving the performance of face recognition (FR) algorithms. To overcome these challenges, frame selection becomes a necessary and beneficial step before the FR stage. In this paper, we propose a CNN-based key-frame extraction (KFE) engine with GPU acceleration, employing our innovative Face Quality Assessment (FQA) module. For theoretical performance analysis of the KFE engine, we evaluated representative one-person video datasets such as PaSC, FiA and ChokePoint using ROC and DET curves. For performance analysis under practical scenario, we evaluated multi-person videos using ChokePoint dataset as well as in-house captured full-HD videos. The experimental results show that our KFE engine can dramatically reduce the data volume while improving the FR performance. In addition, our KFE engine can achieve higher than real-time performance with GPU acceleration in dealing with HD videos in real application scenarios.
Grabbing the Transcatheter Valve Skirt: Bail-Out Technique for Valve Embolization During Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement

An 80-year-old man with history of coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral annuloplasty with a semirigid Physio-1 ring 30 mm (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) for ischemic mitral regurgitation was referred to our hospital because of worsening shortness of breath. An echocardiogram
Posthuman Phenomenologies: Performance Philosophy, Non-Human Animals, and the Landscape:

Western philosophical traditions have been haunted by an intellectualist thesis supported by two foundational assumptions: first, that humans can be defined in virtue of their minds, and second, th...
Studying Positioning and Repositioning of Brands Using Multidimensional Scaling.

Positioning and repositioning continue to be critical topics in business strategy, and yet a review of current business research syllabi from several institutions showed that very few institutions ...
Shooter Localization Using Videos in the Wild

Nowadays a huge number of user-generated videos are uploaded to social media every second, capturing glimpses of events all over the world. These videos in the wild provide important and useful information for reconstructing events like the Las Vegas Shooting in 2017. In this paper, we describe a system that can localize the shooter location only based on a couple of user-generated videos that capture the gunshot sound. Our system first utilizes established video analysis techniques like video synchronization and automatic gunshot processing to organize the unstructured videos in the wild for users to understand the event effectively. By combining multimodal information from visual, audio and geo-locations, our system can then visualize all possible locations of the shooter in the map. Our system provides a web interface for human-in-the-loop verification to ensure accurate estimations. We present the results of estimating the shooter's location of the Las Vegas Shooting in 2017 and show that our system is able to get accurate location using only the first few gunshots. All relevant source code including the web interface and machine learning models are available11https://vera.cs.cmu.edu.
Concordance between parents in offspring maltreatment as perceived by emerging adult college students

Abstract Background Many studies have examined the link between childhood maltreatment and outcomes, but few have focused on children who experience maltreatment from both their mothers and fathers and how they might differ from children who experience maltreatment from one parent only. Even fewer studies have used dyadic concordance types (e.g., pairs of parents engaging in a behavior or not) to examine how offspring maltreatment impacts offspring psychological problems. Objective The current study examined the effects of adult offspring physical and psychological maltreatment as perpetrated by mothers only, fathers only, both parents, and neither parent over the past year on emerging adult college student psychological problems while examining parent and adult offspring gender effects. Participants and Setting: Participants included 2374 emerging adult college students at a Southern university. Methods Participants reported on their parents’ past year use of physical assault and psychological aggression against them as well as their own psychological problems. Results Results suggest that the highest frequency of reported maltreatment occurred from both parents and not one parent only. Males reported higher maltreatment than females except when examining psychological aggression from mothers only, where females reported double the rate as males. Generally, emerging adult college students who reported physical assault or psychological aggression by both parents also reported the highest depressive, anxiety, and antisocial problems. Conclusions Overall, results generally indicated that maltreatment experienced from both parents was associated with more severe psychological outcomes than if experienced from only one parent.
Rodent models of post-traumatic stress disorder: behavioral assessment.

Although the etiology and expression of psychiatric disorders are complex, mammals show biologically preserved behavioral and neurobiological responses to valent stimuli which underlie the use of rodent models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a complex phenotype that is difficult to model in rodents because it is diagnosed by patient interview and influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. However, given that PTSD results from traumatic experiences, rodent models can simulate stress induction and disorder development. By manipulating stress type, intensity, duration, and frequency, preclinical models reflect core PTSD phenotypes, measured through various behavioral assays. Paradigms precipitate the disorder by applying physical, social, and psychological stressors individually or in combination. This review discusses the methods used to trigger and evaluate PTSD-like phenotypes. It highlights studies employing each stress model and evaluates their translational efficacies against DSM-5, validity criteria, and criteria proposed by Yehuda and Antelman’s commentary in 1993. This is intended to aid in paradigm selection by informing readers about rodent models, their benefits to the clinical community, challenges associated with the translational models, and opportunities for future work. To inform PTSD model validity and relevance to human psychopathology, we propose that models incorporate behavioral test batteries, individual differences, sex differences, strain and stock differences, early life stress effects, biomarkers, stringent success criteria for drug development, Research Domain Criteria, technological advances, and cross-species comparisons. We conclude that, despite the challenges, animal studies will be pivotal to advances in understanding PTSD and the neurobiology of stress.
Comparative Genomics of Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli from Kittens and Children Identifies Bacterial Factors Associated with Virulence in Kittens.

Typical enteropathogenic E. coli (tEPEC) is a leading cause of diarrhea and associated death in children worldwide. Atypical EPEC (aEPEC) lacks the plasmid encoding bundle-forming pili and is considered less virulent, but the molecular mechanisms of virulence is poorly understood. We recently identified kittens as a host for aEPEC where intestinal epithelial colonization was associated with diarrheal disease and death. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine the genomic similarity between kitten aEPEC and human aEPEC isolates and (2) to identify genotypic or phenotypic traits associated with virulence in kitten aEPEC. We observed no differences between kitten and human aEPEC in core genome content or gene cluster sequence identities and no distinguishing genomic content was observed between aEPEC isolates from kittens with nonclinical colonization (NC) versus lethal infection (LI). Variation in adherence pattern and ability to aggregate actin in cultured cells mirrored descriptions of human aEPEC. The aEPEC isolated from kittens with LI were significantly more motile than isolates from kittens with NC. Kittens may serve as a reservoir for aEPEC that are indistinguishable from human aEPEC isolates and may provide a needed comparative animal model for the study of aEPEC pathogenesis. Motility seems to be an important factor in pathogenesis of LI associated with aEPEC in kittens.
Impact of Clinical Decision Support on Azithromycin Prescribing in Primary Care Clinics

Inappropriate use of antibiotics in the outpatient setting is a common problem, yet literature evaluating best practices for stewardship interventions in this setting is sparse. To evaluate the impact of clinical decision support (CDS) order panels for azithromycin prescribing on the percentage of inappropriate azithromycin prescriptions in primary care clinics. Single-center, retrospective analysis of azithromycin prescribing within nine primary care clinics. Pre-intervention and post-intervention data included azithromycin prescriptions from November 2016 to April 2017 and February 2019 to July 2019, respectively. Key exclusion criteria included prescriptions for the treatment of a sexually transmitted infection or for prophylaxis against Mycobacterium avium complex. The azithromycin CDS panel was created to provide point-of-care information on appropriate use of azithromycin along with recommended alternatives based on indications. CDS panels were implemented on January 10, 2019. The primary composite outcome was the change in the percentage of inappropriate azithromycin prescribing before and after implementation of CDS panels. The composite outcome included prescriptions with inappropriate indications for azithromycin, unnecessary prescriptions, inappropriate treatment durations, and/or inappropriate dose. There were 306 and 263 prescriptions for azithromycin prescriptions included for analysis in the pre- and post-intervention periods, respectively. Inappropriate prescriptions decreased by 12.6% from the pre- to post-intervention period (81.4% vs. 68.8%; P < 0.001). In both the pre- and post-intervention period, bronchitis and unspecified upper respiratory tract infections (URI) were the two most common indications where azithromycin was prescribed inappropriately. Implementation of CDS order panels resulted in a reduction in inappropriate azithromycin prescribing. However, additional improvement in azithromycin prescribing is needed especially for the indications of bronchitis and unspecified URI.
Gold deportment and leaching study from a pressure oxidation residue of chalcopyrite concentrate

Abstract Pressure oxidation (POX) is an effective method for base metal extraction and a pretreatment of refractory gold ores. A residue from pressure leaching of chalcopyrite concentrate was collected and investigated for gold recovery and deportment of metals. A comprehensive mineralogical analysis and gold deportment study were conducted using techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscope, scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), and dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS). Gold leaching tests were performed using cyanide and glycine as lixiviants. The gold grade is 3.1 g/t, with 0.31% residual copper in the sample. Hematite was a dominant iron oxide (31.5%), and iron sulfate salts (45.4%) existed in various minerals phases. The gold deportment study revealed that 32.3% of the total gold was present as a visible gold, and the remainder was sub-microscopic gold. The visible gold was native gold with an average particle size of less than 20 μm. Colloidal gold, the dominant existence of invisible gold, was found in hematite, jarosite, and iron sulfate. Hematite was the major sub-microscopic gold carrier, forming a nonporous rimmed structure and locking gangue minerals randomly. Gold in arsenopyrite was found as solid-solution, accounting for 7.2%. Gold extraction of 84% was achieved by 500 mg/L NaCN, while only 35% of gold was extracted by 100 mg/L NaCN. A significant synergistic effect of cyanide and glycine was observed. The addition of glycine in cyanide leaching solution boosted the gold leaching kinetics and recovery. Gold recovery of 85% was observed with 100 mg/L NaCN and 0.3 M glycine in 24 h. In the hybrid leaching system, copper was stabilized by glycine and further utilized as a catalyst for gold leaching. To achieve higher gold extraction and lower lime consumption, a product with high sulfur oxidation degree and low iron sulfate content is preferable in pressure oxidation operation. Hematite is a stable product and does not impair gold leaching.
Scalable Scalable Vector Graphics: Automatic Translation of Interactive SVGs to a Multithread VDOM for Fast Rendering.

The dominant markup language for Web visualizations---Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)---is comparatively easy to learn, and is open, accessible, customizable via CSS, and searchable via the DOM, with easy interaction handling and debugging. Because these attributes allow visualization creators to focus on design on implementation details, tools built on top of SVG, such as D3.js, are essential to the visualization community. However, slow SVG rendering can limit designs by effectively capping the number of on-screen data points, and this can force visualization creators to switch to Canvas or WebGL. These are less flexible (e.g., no search or styling via CSS), and harder to learn. We introduce Scalable Scalable Vector Graphics (SSVG) to reduce these limitations and allow complex and smooth visualizations to be created with SVG. SSVG automatically translates interactive SVG visualizations into a dynamic virtual DOM (VDOM) to bypass the browser's slow 'to specification' rendering by intercepting JavaScript function calls. De-coupling the SVG visualization specification from SVG rendering, and obtaining a dynamic VDOM, creates flexibility and opportunity for visualization system research. SSVG uses this flexibility to free up the main thread for more interactivity and renders the visualization with Canvas or WebGL on a web worker. Together, these concepts create a drop-in JavaScript library which can improve rendering performance by 3-9X with only one line of code added. To demonstrate applicability, we describe the use of SSVG on many example visualizations including published visualization research. A free copy of this paper, collected data, and source code are available at osf.io/ge8wp.
Ethnic Identity of Black Muslims and Resilience from Criminal Risk Factors

The overrepresentation of Black males in the criminal justice system is well-established in the literature, linking individual factors to criminal engagement of Black men. Compared to literature se...
Oral contraceptive use is not related to gender self-concept

Abstract Oral contraceptive (OC) use is a valuable and underutilized natural experiment for examining exogenous hormone effects on aspects of cognition and behavior, especially aspects that show sex or gender differences. OC use, however, is not randomly assigned; women who use OCs may systematically differ from non-users for gender-linked reasons that potentially confound investigations of the pharmacokinetic effects of OCs. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to investigate whether OC users and non-users differ in gender self-concepts, as sociocultural factors might influence who uses OCs and why. A secondary aim was to examine whether OC users of different pill formulations differ in gender self-concept. Multivariate analyses of covariance (controlling for age) on a large sample of 395 young adult women revealed no significant differences between OC users (n = 247) and non-users (n = 148) in four aspects of gender self-concept (expressivity, instrumentality, femininity, and masculinity), with univariate effect sizes averaging d = 0.07. Moreover, inferences about group differences did not change when considering sociocultural factors (i.e., reason for OC use) or pharmacokinetic properties of the pills (i.e., androgenicity). Thus, findings indicate that differences in gender self-concept do not underlie OC use and non-use, and that the androgenicity of different OC formulations does not impact gender self-concept. Taken together, findings also highlight the specificity of exogenous ovarian hormone influences, as there are documented effects on cognition but not on personal characteristics, such as gender self-concept.
Intensity of statin therapy and muscle symptoms: a network meta-analysis of 153 000 patients.

Objective To estimate relative risk (RR) of statin-associated musculoskeletal symptoms by statin therapy intensity. Setting Network meta-analysis assessing multicentre randomised controlled trials (RCTs) across several countries. Participants PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane database and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through January 2021 for doubled-blinded RCTs testing the effect of statin therapy on lipids with at least 1000 participants and 2 years of intended treatment. Two coders assessed articles for final inclusion, quality and outcomes. Treatment intensity was categorised according to American Heart Association definitions. Outcomes Pairwise and network meta-analysis (NMA) estimated RR and risk difference with random effects modelling. Heterogeneity was evaluated with the I2 statistic. Outcomes included muscle symptoms (any, myalgia and attrition due to muscle symptoms), rhabdomyolysis and elevated creatine kinase (CK) (>10 × upper limit of normal). Results Of 2919 RCTs, 24 (n=152 461) met inclusion criteria. NMA results indicated risk was significantly greater for high compared with moderate intensity statin therapy for any muscle problem (RR=1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.07; I2=0%), myalgia (RR=1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.08; I2=0%, number needed to harm (NNH)=173), attrition due to muscle problems (RR=1.37, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.73, I2=0%, NNH=218) and elevated CK (RR=4.69, 95% CI 2.50 to 8.80; I2=7%, NNH=527). Risk also was significantly higher for high intensity compared with placebo for any muscle problem (RR=1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.09, I2=0%), myalgia (RR=1.13, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.23; I2=0%, NNH=182), attrition due to muscle problems (RR=1.55, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.08, I2=0%, NNH=187) and elevated CK (RR=5.37, 95% CI 2.48 to 11.61; I2=7%, NNH=589). Due to inconsistency of results across sensitivity analyses, estimates were inconclusive for rhabdomyolysis and CK. There were no significant differences in risk between moderate intensity therapy and placebo for all outcomes. Conclusions For approximately each 200 patients on high intensity statins, one additional patient may experience myalgia or discontinue therapy due to muscle problems compared with moderate intensity therapy. Trial registration number CRD42019112758.
Changes in the Portfolio Management and Construction under the Pandemic Era

This paper focuses on comparing portfolio management and construction before and after the coronavirus. First, this paper presents the importance of building up portfolios for investors to diversify their risks. Theories on portfolio management are discussed in this section to show how they have been developed to help on investing and reduce risk. Then, the paper moves on to show the impact of the pandemic on the financial market and portfolio management. Sample data on tech stock returns are collected to perform a Monte Carlo simulation on portfolio construction to find out the efficient portfolio before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The efficient portfolio is build based on the Markowitz theory to find the combination. Comparisons between these portfolio constructions are made to find out the changes in portfolio management and construction under the pandemic era. In conclusion, this paper presents how pandemic has changed and impacted the investments and lists recommendations on future portfolio management and construction. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2021.
Evaluation of Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Methodology on Adsorbents for Tritium Removal

The Savannah River National Laboratory has demonstrated a potential process that can be used to remove tritium from tritiated water using Pt-catalyzed molecular sieves. The process is an elemental ...
Effect of pH on the Activity of Erythromycin Against 500 Isolates of Gram-Negative Bacilli

Erythromycin was found to be a more effective inhibitor of gram-negative bacilli in alkaline medium than in neutral or acid medium. A definite effect was noted with all of 500 recent clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella-Enterobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis studied, but it was most striking with E. coli. At pH 8.5 all strains, except for 14% of those of P. mirabilis, were inhibited by concentrations of erythromycin readily achieved in urine with common therapeutic doses.
The Transatlantic Constitution: Colonial Legal Culture and the Empire

Acknowledgments A Note on Legal Terms Introduction: The Transatlantic Constitution and the Colonial World Part I. The Transatlantic Legal World 1. Legal Practitioners and Legal Literates 2. The Laws of England 3. The Laws of Rhode Island Part II. Transatlantic Legal Practice 4. The Transatlantic Appeal 5. Women, Family, Property 6. Personnel and Practices Part III. Visions of the Transatlantic Constitution 7. Religious Establishment and Orthodoxy 8. Commerce and Currency 9. The Transatlantic Constitution and the Nation Notes Index
Equations of state of anhydrous AlF3 and AlI3: Modeling of extreme condition halide chemistry

Pressure dependent angle-dispersive x-ray powder diffraction measurements of alpha-phase aluminum trifluoride (α-AlF3) and separately, aluminum triiodide (AlI3) were conducted using a diamond-anvil cell. Results at 295 K extend to 50 GPa. The equations of state of AlF3 and AlI3 were determined through refinements of collected x-ray diffraction patterns. The respective bulk moduli and corresponding pressure derivatives are reported for multiple orders of the Birch-Murnaghan (B-M), finite-strain (F-f), and higher pressure finite-strain (G-g) EOS analysis models. Aluminum trifluoride exhibits an apparent isostructural phase transition at approximately 12 GPa. Aluminum triiodide also undergoes a second-order atomic rearrangement: applied stress transformed a monoclinically distorted face centered cubic (fcc) structure into a standard fcc structural arrangement of iodine atoms. Results from semi-empirical thermochemical computations of energetic materials formulated with fluorine containing reactants were obtained with the aim of predicting the yield of halogenated products.
Isolation and Characterization of Plasma Membranes from Human Blood Platelets

Abstract Human platelets were subjected to hypotonic lysis after being loaded intracellularly with glycerol (4.3 m) by centrifugation in a glycerol gradient under controlled conditions. A homogeneous membrane fraction, free of intracellular organelles, was isolated after a single density step centrifugation, while continuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation gave two subfractions with densities of 1.090 and 1.120, and with identical isoelectric points (pI 3.9) as determined by isoelectric focusing. Compositional studies indicated that the platelet membrane was a lipoglycoprotein with a carbohydrate content of approximately 7%. The sugar components were identified as glucose, galactose, mannose, hexosamines (GlcN:GalN = 6:1), sialic acid, and fucose. The chemical composition of the platelet membranes isolated at d, 1.090 was protein, 31.9%; lipid, 55.9%; carbohydrate, 7.3%; RNA, 0.3%; DNA, 0.0%; and for those isolated at d, 1.120, it was protein, 40.1%; lipid, 48.2%; carbohydrate, 6.9%; RNA, 0.4%; DNA, 0.0%. The membranes were characterized by a high molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid (0.49 and 0.45) that was similar to that found in liver plasma membranes. Phosphodiesterase, acid phosphatase and ATPase were purified 8-, 4-, and 2-fold, respectively, in the membrane fractions, whereas succinic dehydrogenase, esterase, and a variety of β-glycosidases were present only at very low levels. These results demonstrate the absence of intracellular membranes and, together with the chemical analyses, they suggest that the outer membrane of the platelet is similar to plasma membranes of other cells, and they provide biochemical confirmation of its origin from the plasma membrane of the megakaryocyte. The vesicles of the two membrane bands differed in ultrastructure, the lighter (d, 1.090) having an average diameter of 1750 A with numerous concentric double membrane structures, while the heavier (d, 1.120) consisted of single membranes of diameter 700 A.