cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The drivers of foreign currency‐based banking in Central and Eastern Europe

Foreign currency (FX)-based loans and deposits became very popular in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) over the 2000–2011 period. In this paper, I simultaneously examine the demand-side (consumer-related) and supply-side (bank-related) determinants of the quick spread of FX banking. I use a newly constructed dataset on FX and domestic currency loans, deposits and interest rates, covering 16 CEECs overtime. Local-FX interest rate and market share spreads are: (1) lower in managed currency regimes; (2) strongly affected by the prevalence of FX funding, currency mismatch and FX banking restrictions, and (3) wider after economic crises.
Russia's Financial Crisis: Causes and Possible Remedies

A prominent Western specialist on the Russian economy surveys underlying causes of the financial crisis that beset Russia in autumn 1997 and intensified in mid-1998. He first discusses several popular explanations for the crisis (ruble overvaluation, falling oil prices, collapsing tax revenues, excessive debt burden), describing why he considers them untenable and then outlines several more plausible explanations (e.g., excessive short-term debt, regional/local government expenditures, proliferation of a barter economy, arbitrary fiscal rule, lack of protection for property rights). The author then analyzes recent international (IMF, World Bank) efforts to assist Russia and outlines additional strategies for mitigating the crisis. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E40, E42, E50, E62. 6 tables, 25 references.
Abstract 3048: Real-World Clinical Use of CT Perfusion for Diagnosis and Prediction of Lesion Growth in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) detects acute ischemia with a high sensitivity. In research centers, qualitative CT perfusion (CTP) mapping correlates well with DWI and may accurately differentiate the infarct core from ischemic penumbra. The value of the CTP in real-world clinical practice, however, has not been fully established. We investigated the yield of CTP - derived cerebral blood volume (CBV) and mean transient time (MTT) for the detection of cerebral ischemia in a sample of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Methods: In a large metropolitan academic medical center that is a certified Primary Stroke Center (PSC) we retrospectively studied 162 patients who presented between January 2008 and July 2010 with symptoms suggestive of AIS. All patients had an initial Code Brain protocol including non-contrast head CT, CTP, and CTA. As clinically indicated, some patients underwent follow up brain MRI within 48 hours. Acute perfusion maps were derived in real time by a trained operator. From the obtained images CBV, MTT and DWI lesion volumes were manually traced using planimetry (ImageJ v1.42) by two stroke neurologists blinded to clinical information. Volumes were calculated using the Cavaleri theorem. Sensitivity, specificity and statistical analysis were calculated using Graph Pad 5.0. Results: Of 162 patients with acute stroke-like symptoms, 73 had DWI lesions. The sensitivity and specificity to detect abnormal DWI signals were 23% and 100%, for CBV; and 43.8% and 98.9% for MTT. For DWI lesions ≥5ml the yield was 59.3% for CVB and 77.8% for MTT. For lesions ≥10ml the yield was 68.4% for CBV and 89.5% for MTT. In patients with NIHSS ≥5, CBV predicted abnormal DWI in 22.6% and MTT in 35.5%. In patients with NIHSS ≥10, CBV and MTT, both had a yield of 50.0%. A CBV - MTT mismatch of >25% predicted MRI lesion extension in 81.25% of the cases. There were small but significant correlations for DWI versus CBV lesion volumes ( r 2 0.32, P= 0.0001), and for DWI versus MTT lesion volumes ( r 2 0.29, P r 2 0.3, P r 2 0.45, P Conclusions: In real-world deployment during a Code Brain protocol in a busy PSC, acute imaging with CTP did not predict DWI lesions on brain MRI with sufficient accuracy. In patients with large lesions the predictive value was better.
Effects of virus infection on pollen production and pollen performance: Implications for the spread of resistance alleles

Premise of study Studies over the past 25 years have shown that environmental stresses adversely affect male function, including pollen production and pollen performance (germination and pollen tube growth rate). Consequently, genetic variation among plants in resistance to a stress has the potential to impact pollen donation to conspecifics and, if deposited onto a stigma, the ability of the pollen to achieve fertilization. We examined the effects of a nonlethal virus epidemic on pollen production and pollen performance in a population of susceptible and resistant (transgenic) wild squash (Cucurbita pepo subsp. texana). Methods We grew 135 susceptible and 45 virus-resistant wild squash plants in each of two 0.4-ha fields, initiated a zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) epidemic, and recorded staminate and pistillate flower production per plant over the field season and the total number of mature fruit. We also assessed pollen production per flower on ZYMV-infected and non-infected plants and the ability of pollen from flowers on infected and non-infected plants to achieve fertilization under competitive conditions. Key results ZYMV infection reduced flower and fruit production per plant and pollen production per flower. Pollen from infected plants was also less likely to sire a seed under competitive conditions. Conclusions ZYMV infection adversely impacts the amount of pollen that can be donated to conspecifics, and pollen competition within the styles increases the probability that the ovules are fertilized by pollen from plants that are thriving when challenged by a viral disease.
Congruent Deep Relationships in the Grape Family (Vitaceae) Based on Sequences of Chloroplast Genomes and Mitochondrial Genes via Genome Skimming.

Vitaceae is well-known for having one of the most economically important fruits, i.e., the grape (Vitis vinifera). The deep phylogeny of the grape family was not resolved until a recent phylogenomic analysis of 417 nuclear genes from transcriptome data. However, it has been reported extensively that topologies based on nuclear and organellar genes may be incongruent due to differences in their evolutionary histories. Therefore, it is important to reconstruct a backbone phylogeny of the grape family using plastomes and mitochondrial genes. In this study, next-generation sequencing data sets of 27 species were obtained using genome skimming with total DNAs from silica-gel preserved tissue samples on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 instrument. Plastomes were assembled using the combination of de novo and reference genome (of V. vinifera) methods. Sixteen mitochondrial genes were also obtained via genome skimming using the reference genome of V. vinifera. Extensive phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The topology based on either plastome data or mitochondrial genes is congruent with the one using hundreds of nuclear genes, indicating that the grape family did not exhibit significant reticulation at the deep level. The results showcase the power of genome skimming in capturing extensive phylogenetic data: especially from chloroplast and mitochondrial DNAs.
Cholecystokinin-induced contraction of opossum sphincter of Oddi. Mechanism of action.

In this study, we evaluated the mechanism of action whereby cholecystokinin increases spike-burst rate of the opossum sphincter of Oddi (SO). Each spike burst corresponds to a peristaltic SO contraction. Two types of animal preparations were evaluated: (1) awake chronic animal preparations and (2) anesthetized animals. A total of 19 chronic animals were prepared by implantation of electrodes on the SO, gastric antrum, duodenum, and jejunum. SO spike-burst rate was stimulated by intravenous infusion of CCK-OP (10 ng/kg/min), feeding, or intraduodenal infusion of fat-containing nutrient. Each stimulus was begun 20 min after cessation of phase III duodenal MMC activity and caused an increase in SO spike-burst rate from about 2 to 6/min that lasted for 1hr. Such increases were antagonized substantially by hexamethonium, atropine, or methysergide. The CCK antagonist, L364718, antagonized the excitatory SO response to CCK-OP infusion or intraduodenal infusion of fat-containing nutrient (Isocal) but did not antagonize the response to feeding; CR1409 had no antagonistic effect on SO response to any of the three types of stimuli. In the acute studies in anesthetized animals, an intravenous bolus dose of CCK-OP (800 ng/kg) caused a substantial increase in SO spikeburst rate that was antagonized by CR1409 but not by atropine, hexamethonium, methysergide, L364718, or TTX. From these results we conclude that: (1) SO excitatory responses evoked by exogenous or endogenous CCK in awake animals are elicited by an action on cholinergic and tryptaminergic nerves with negligible direct effect on SO smooth muscle, (2) actions of bolus doses in the acute studies are evoked mainly by a direct effect of CCK-OP on SO smooth muscle, and (3) different subtypes of CCK receptors antagonized by L364718 and CR1409, respectively, exist on SO cholinergic nerves and SO smooth muscle.
Heteroepitaxial Metal Oxides on Silicon by Laser Ablation

Thin epitaxial films of cubic - fluorite structured PrO2 and YSZ (yttria- stabilized zirconia) were grown on single crystal silicon substrates using the laser ablation - deposition technique. X-ray diffraction theta two - theta, omega rocking and phi scans indicate a high degree of epitaxial orientation of the films to the Si lattice. The highest quality of epitaxy was obtained with the PrO2 [111] oriented normal to Si(111) surfaces and the cubic YSZ [100] normal to Si(100) surfaces. For both PrO2 and YSZ, high epitaxial quality required the removal of the Si native oxide prior to deposition and careful control of the deposition environment. It was further found that the YSZ films on Si(100) were an excellent surface for subsequent laser ablation of YBCO films by the usual in situ process. The resistivity of this YBCO was ≈ 250 micro-ohm-cm at 300 K, extrapolated to the resistivity -temperature origin, showed a sharp transition to zero resistance at ≈ 85 K and was nearly identical to high quality YBCO films deposited on (bulk) YSZ substrates.
Cementing mussels to oysters in the pteriomorphian tree: a phylogenomic approach

Mussels (Mytilida) are a group of bivalves with ancient origins and some of the most important commercial shellfish worldwide. Mytilida consists of approximately 400 species found in various littoral and deep-sea environments, and are part of the higher clade Pteriomorphia, but their exact position within the group has been unstable. The multiple adaptive radiations that occurred within Pteriomorphia have rendered phylogenetic classifications difficult and uncertainty remains regarding the relationships among most families. To address this phylogenetic uncertainty, novel transcriptomic data were generated to include all five orders of Pteriomorphia. Our results, derived from complex analyses of large datasets from 41 transcriptomes and evaluating possible pitfalls affecting phylogenetic reconstruction (matrix occupancy, heterogeneity, evolutionary rates, evolutionary models), consistently recover a well-supported phylogeny of Pteriomorphia, with the only exception of the most complete but smallest data matrix ( Matrix 3 : 51 genes, 90% gene occupancy). Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian mixture model analyses retrieve strong support for: (i) the monophyly of Pteriomorphia, (ii) Mytilida as a sister group to Ostreida, and (iii) Arcida as sister group to all other pteriomorphians. The basal position of Arcida is congruent with its shell microstructure (solely composed of aragonitic crystals), whereas Mytilida and Ostreida display a combination of a calcitic outer layer with an aragonitic inner layer composed of nacre tablets, the latter being secondarily lost in Ostreoidea.
Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes to Heat after Adaptation to Environmental Stresses.

Changes in the thermotolerance of Listeria monocytogenes at different stages of growth and in the presence of stress factors were studied. Stresses investigated include starvation and treatment with hydrogen peroxide, ethanol, and low pH. Stressed cells were suspended in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0) and their thermotolerance was determined by measuring D56°C-value using the capillary tube method. D56°C remained constant (1.0 min) during the exponential phase of growth and then increased to a maximum of 8.6 min during the late exponential and early stationary phases. Cells of L. monocytogenes were harvested when in the exponential phase and suspended in phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. The cells were then starved by incubating the suspension for up to 163 h at 30°C. D56°-values increased during starvation and reached a maximum of 13.6 min. Ethanol (0.5 to 12%, vol/vol), acid (pH 4.0 to 7.0), or H2O2 (27 to 500 ppm) was added to L. monocytogenes cultures in the exponential phase and the cells were allowed to grow for 1 h (one to two doublings of the control treatment). All treatments caused increases in the thermotolerance of the pathogen. Maximum tolerance was observed in cells exposed to 4 to 8% ethanol, pH 4.5, and 500 ppm H2O2; the corresponding averages for D56°C-values were 4.1, 8.8, and 2.9 min, respectively.
Neuroendocrine tumor liver metastases treated with yttrium-90 radioembolization

Abstract Objective Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization is an emerging treatment option for unresectable neuroendocrine liver metastases (NELM). However, the data regarding this treatment are currently limited. This study evaluates the efficacy and tolerability of Y-90 radioembolization and identifies prognostic factors for radiographic response and survival. Methods and materials Thirty-eight patients underwent Y-90 radioembolization for NELM at our institution between April 2004 and February 2012. Patients were assessed radiographically (RECIST criteria, enhancement), serologically, and clinically at 1 month, and then at every 3 months after treatment for tumor response, toxicity, and survival outcomes. Results Median length of follow-up was 17.0 months (IQR, 9.0–37.0). Median survival was 29.2 months. Three patients (9%) had a radiographic complete response to treatment, 6 (17%) had a partial response, 21 (60%) had stable disease, and 5 (14%) developed progressive disease. Two factors were significantly associated with a good radiographic response (complete/partial response): islet cell histological subtype (p = 0.043) and hepatic tumor burden ≥ 33% (p = 0.031). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients requiring multiple Y-90 treatments (HR 2.9, p = 0.035) and patients who had previously failed systemic therapy with octreotide/chemotherapy (HR 4.4, p = 0.012) had worse survival. Grade 3 serologic toxicity was observed in 2 patients (5%; hyperbilirubinemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase) after treatment. Grade 3 non-serologic toxicities included abdominal pain (11%), fatigue (11%), nausea/vomiting (5%), ascites (5%), dyspnea (3%), diarrhea (3%), and peripheral edema (3%). No grade 4 or 5 toxicity was reported. Conclusions Y-90 radioembolization is a promising treatment option for inoperable NELM and is associated with low rates of grade ≥ 3 toxicity.
Language Portability for Dialogue Systems: Translating a Question-Answering System from English into Tamil

A training and test set for a dialogue system in the form of linked questions and responses is translated from English into Tamil. Accuracy of identifying an appropriate response in Tamil is 79%, compared to the English accuracy of 89%, suggesting that translation can be useful to start up a dialogue system. Machine translation of Tamil inputs into English also results in 79% accuracy. However, machine translation of the English training data into Tamil results in a drop in accuracy to 54% when tested on manually authored Tamil, indicating that there is still a large gap before machine translated dialogue systems can interact with human users.
Silence and Confession in The Brothers Karamazov

Silence is an integral part of discourse, shaping our utterances and imparting meaning in a variety of ways. Fyodor Dostoevsky proves to be especially attentive to the communicative possibilities of silence, using the phenomenon in diverse ways in a wide range of contexts in his works. In The Brothers Karamazov Dostoevsky draws on Eastern Orthodox icon theology and tradition to imbue a particular form of silence, molchanie, with the ability to facilitate communion (in the fullest sense of the word) in certain contexts. This use of silence is most clearly articulated by Dmitrii Karamazov in his “Confession of an Ardent Heart,” and practiced by Alesha during the confessions of his brothers Dmitrii and Ivan.
Supporting the best charities is harder than it seems

ABSTRACTOnce upon a time, I attempted to create a web-based one-stop-shop for global poverty relief called the Maximin Project. Drawing on aspects of that experience, I show that although some existing ways of rating and recommending charities are significantly better than others, there remain certain challenges that need to be overcome. Specifically, I argue that the emerging Effective Altruism movement, with its emphasis on measurable effectiveness, runs the risk of neglecting a whole range of projects that are necessary for a well-rounded approach to human development. I briefly model an alternative virtue-based approach that calls on the personal insight of individual researchers and practitioners in addition to the more directly experimental approach of organizations like GiveWell.
Computation of Pharmacologic Therapy Effects on Cognitive Abilities of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

To explore the impact of pharmacologic therapies on cognitive changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, we develop an artificial intelligence (AI) based personalized relevance parameterization method, called PReP-AD-PH. Expressions of genes, which are effective in AD related protein biomarkers, and mini mental state examination (MMSE) scores of AD patients in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage are inputs for PReP-AD-PH. In this study, AD patients in MCI stage are split into two groups, such that the first group has 81 patients given monotherapy with cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) donepezil and the second with 70 patients received combinational therapy with donepezil and memantine. PReP-AD-PH computes parameters characterizing the cognitive changes in AD patients with MCI. Using a leave-one-out-cross-validation (LOOCV) based algorithm, we measure an average LOOCV error rate of 6.53% for patients received donepezil monotherapy, and 8.05% for those under combinational therapy. Cumulative distribution of LOOCV error rates of PReP-AD-PH results points out that AI based computation methods can be useful in assisting clinicians with pharmacologic therapy decisions for AD patients with MCI.
Visual-vestibular processing deficits in mild traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND The search for reliable and valid signs and symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly synonymous with concussion, has lead to a growing body of evidence that individuals with long-lasting, unremitting impairments often experience visual and vestibular symptoms, such as dizziness, postural and gait disturbances. OBJECTIVE Investigate the role of visual-vestibular processing deficits following concussion. METHODS A number of clinically accepted vestibular, oculomotor, and balance assessments as well as a novel virtual reality (VR)-based balance assessment device were used to assess adults with post-acute concussion (n = 14) in comparison to a healthy age-matched cohort (n = 58). RESULTS Significant between-group differences were found with the VR-based balance device (p = 0.001), with dynamic visual motion emerging as the most discriminating balance condition. The symptom reports collected after performing the oculomotor and vestibular tests: rapid alternating horizontal eye saccades, optokinetic stimulation, and gaze stabilization, were all sensitive to health status (p < 0.05), despite the absence of oculomotor abnormalities being observed, except for near-point convergence. The BESS, King-Devick, and Dynamic Visual Acuity tests did not detect between-group differences. CONCLUSION Postural and visual-vestibular tasks most closely linked to spatial and self-motion perception had the greatest discriminatory outcomes. The current findings suggest that mesencephalic and parieto-occipital centers and pathways may be involved in concussion.
Abstract 157: Unique Features of Cortical Bone Stem Cells Associated With Enhanced Cardiac Repair

Rationale: Adoptive transfer of bone marrow and cardiac derived stem cells (CDCs) into failing human hearts has been shown to be safe, yet these cells have only induced modest improvements after myocardial infarction (MI). Recently we have shown in a mouse model that cortical bone derived stem cells (CBSCs) induced a greater enhancement of cardiac function after MI through enhanced paracrine signaling and transdifferentiation of CBSCs into new cardiac tissue. However, the reparative potential of CBSCs relative to other stem cell types including bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and CDCs is not known. Objective: To characterize surface marker expression, proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation capacity of swine CBSCs relative to MSCs and CDCs. Methods and Results: CBSCs, MSCs and CDCs were isolated from Gottingen miniswine. CBSCs were morphologically distinct from MSCs and CDCs, with differences in length to width ratio and overall cell surface area. Cell surface marker profiling using RT-PCR analysis revealed that CBSCs express some of the classical MSC markers such as CD106, CD271, CD105, CD90 and CD29 and are negative for CD45 and CD11-b. CBSCs had an enhanced proliferation capacity versus CDCs and MSCs, measured by CyQuant assay. Concurrently CBSCs had significantly decreased population-doubling time (3.57 and 1.26 fold decrease) as compared to MSC and CDCs. CBSCs exhibit enhanced survival after exposure to apoptotic stimuli as compared to MSCs measured by Annexin-V staining. A significantly greater % of CBSCs expressed markers of cardiac lineage commitment when exposed to dexamethasone than did CDCs or MSCs. Markers of cardiac lineages including GATA-4, α SMA, Troponin T, sm22 were measured with RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Conclusion: CBSCs have enhanced proliferative, survival capacity and cardiac lineage commitment versus CDCs and MSCs that could account for their enhanced effects on cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction.
HIV Testing and Positivity Patterns of Partners of HIV-Diagnosed People in Partner Services Programs, United States, 2013-2014

Objective:Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) partner services are an integral part of comprehensive HIV prevention programs. We examined the patterns of HIV testing and positivity among partners of...
The metamorphosis of adolescent hormonal stress reactivity: A focus on animal models

As adolescents transition from childhood to adulthood, many physiological and neurobehavioral changes occur. Shifts in neuroendocrine function are one such change, including the hormonal systems that respond to stressors. This review will focus on these hormonal changes, with a particular emphasis on the pubertal and adolescent maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Furthermore, this review will concentrate on studies using animal models, as these model systems have contributed a great deal to our mechanistic understanding of how factors such as sex and experience with stressors shape hormonal reactivity during development. Continued study of the maturation of stress reactivity will undoubtedly shed much needed light on the stress-related vulnerabilities often associated with adolescence as well as providing us with possible strategies to mitigate these vulnerabilities. This area of research may lead to discoveries that enhance the well-being of adolescents, ultimately providing them with greater opportunities to mature into healthy adults.
Evaluation of variable rate irrigation using a remote-sensing-based model

Abstract Improvements in soil water balance modeling can be beneficial for optimizing irrigation management to account for spatial variability in soil properties and evapotranspiration (ET). A remote-sensing-based ET and water balance model was tested for irrigation management in an experiment at two University of Nebraska-Lincoln research sites located near Mead and Brule, Nebraska. Both fields included a center pivot equipped with variable rate irrigation (VRI). The study included maize in 2015 and 2016 and soybean in 2016 at Mead, and maize in 2016 at Brule, for a total of 210 plot-years. Four irrigation treatments were applied at Mead, including: VRI based on a remote sensing model (VRI-RS); VRI based on neutron probe soil water content measurement (VRI-NP); uniform irrigation based on neutron probe measurement; and rainfed. Only the VRI-RS and uniform treatments were applied at Brule. Landsat 7 and 8 imagery were used for model input. In 2015, the remote sensing model included reflectance-based crop coefficients for ET estimation in the water balance. In 2016, a hybrid component of the model was activated, which included energy-balance-modeled ET as an input. Both 2015 and 2016 had above-average precipitation at Mead; subsequently, irrigation amounts were relatively low. Seasonal irrigation was greatest for the VRI-RS treatment in all cases because of drift in the water balance model. This was likely caused by excessive soil evaporation estimates. Irrigation application for the VRI-NP at Mead was about 0 mm, 6 mm, and –12 mm less in separate analyses than for the uniform treatment. Irrigation for the VRI-RS was about 40 mm, 50 mm, and –98 mm greater in separate analyses than the uniform at Mead and about 18 mm greater at Brule. For maize at Mead, treatment effects were primarily limited to hydrologic responses (e.g., ET), with differences in yield generally attributed to random error. Rainfed soybean yields were greater than VRI-RS yields, which may have been related to yield loss from lodging, perhaps due to over-irrigation. Regarding the magnitude of spatial variability in the fields, soil available water capacity generally ranked above ET, precipitation, and yield. Future research should include increased cloud-free imagery frequency, incorporation of soil water content measurements into the model, and improved wet soil evaporation and drainage estimates.
The public animal in Barcelona: urban form, the natural world and socio-spatial transgression in the comic “Un cocodril a l’Eixample” (1987) by Pere Joan and Emilio Manzano

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes the comic “Un cocodril a l’Eixample” (1987) by Pere Joan and Emilio Manzano within the urban context and modern history of Barcelona. Two specific sites are instrumental to this reading: Ildefons Cerda's nineteenth-century design of the Eixample district and the development of the Parc de la Ciutadella. In its story, formal presentation and iconic signification, the comic draws upon and further contributes to the striking presence of animals within Barcelona's cityscape and its urban imaginary. As with the historical examples of a mammoth statue and a taxidermy whale, the movement of Pere Joan and Emilio Manzano's crocodile through the comic's representation of Barcelona draws attention to persisting contradictions surrounding public space, knowledge of the natural world and Catalan urban identity. This study employs an urban cultural studies perspective rooted in the work of Lefebvrian theorist Manuel Delgado Ruiz. Its sections analyze the relation of form and content in the...
Short-Term Behavioral Treatment and Applications to Sexual Dysfunction

A case of sexual dysfunction is used to illustrate behavioral analysis of a problem and the implementation of such anxiety-reducing interventions as cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization, and assertive training.
Organizational Change Skill Acquisition and Change Agency Preparedness in U. S. NASPAA-Accredited MPA Programs

New challenges in our global and regional economies question managers’ ability to navigate change in the years ahead. Because colleges and universities are the incubators for future leaders, we arg...
Chronic Disease in Rural Health

As a large proportion of the American population grows into old age, it is important to understand how long-term illnesses are affecting us. Chronic disease refers to a health-related state, lasting a long time, often defined as three months or longer (Timmreck, 1988). Risk factors for chronic diseases are genetic, environmental, behavioral, and social. For the purposes of this chapter, we will refer to behavioral and social risk factors as lifestyle factors in comparison to genetic or environmental factors. Some environmental factors may be related to lifestyle factors such as occupation; however, we will address these as environmental factors. Over the past decade there has been an increase in stress, sedentary lifestyles, high-density-population living, poor diet, crime, drugs, gangs, poverty, and pollution, many of which lead to chronic diseases (Timmreck, 1988). Rural health has been examined by looking at farmers, nonmetropolitan health centers, populations not adjacent to a metro area, and populations with less than 20,000 residents.
Preliminary studies on the photon path in breast tissue model by NIR-TRS.

A typical tumor releases angiogenesis factor that induces the capillary growth around the tumor and, therefore, a greater amount of blood is present around the tumor. A tumor usually, therefore, becomes a local absorber due to its higher hemoglobin concentration. The ultimate goal of this project is to localize the position of a tumor in a breast tissue at an early stage using near infrared spectroscopy.
A Formal Basis for Safety Case Patterns

By capturing common structures of successful arguments, safety case patterns provide an approach for reusing strategies for reasoning about safety. In the current state of the practice, patterns exist as descriptive specifications with informal semantics, which not only offer little opportunity for more sophisticated usage such as automated instantiation, composition and manipulation, but also impede standardization efforts and tool interoperability. To address these concerns, this paper gives (i) a formal definition for safety case patterns, clarifying both restrictions on the usage of multiplicity and well-founded recursion in structural abstraction, (ii) formal semantics to patterns, and (iii) a generic data model and algorithm for pattern instantiation. We illustrate our contributions by application to a new pattern, the requirements breakdown pattern, which builds upon our previous work.
Smart management system for improving the reliability and availability of substations in smart grid with distributed generation

Electrical power control and management is the key towards improving the efficiency and security of energy supply. Proper management would help in safely diversifying energy supplies, reducing energy consumption during peak load, and improving grid integration condition and reliability. Therefore, this study presents a novel real-time and smart power management system for monitoring and controlling power flow between substations, distributed renewable sources, and loads towards optimising energy consumption and balancing electric power supply. The concept and architecture of the proposed system are discussed in this study within the context of the smart grid principle. The proposed energy management system does not require any changes in the traditional substation. Simulation results and implementation are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed system.
Gluten-free Fish? Marine Carnivores Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Have Different Tolerances to Dietary Wheat Gluten

Abstract In developing more sustainable fishmeal-free diets for a broad range of fish species, a “one-size-fits-all” approach should not be presumed. The production of more ecologically sustainable aquaculture diets has increased the incorporation of plant-based protein sources such as wheat gluten. Here we show that wheat gluten at even less than 4% inclusion in a compound feed has a negative impact on growth and survivorship in juvenile cobia (Rachycentron canadum). In addition, plasma factors capable of binding wheat gluten were detected in the plasma of cobia fed diets containing this ingredient but not in wild cobia with no exposure to dietary wheat gluten. Furthermore, there is evidence that supplementary taurine partially mitigates the deleterious effects provoked by wheat gluten. Based on these results, we propose that wheat gluten should be added with caution to aquaculture diets intended for juvenile cobia and potentially other marine carnivores. After observing that dietary wheat gluten can cause deleterious effects in cobia, we sought to evaluate a possible effect in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), another large, carnivorous, marine species. There were no major effects in terms of growth rate, plasma biochemical parameters, or detectable induction of plasma IgM, IgT, or factors capable of binding gliadin in response to 4% dietary wheat gluten. However, plasma levels of taurine doubled and there were considerable changes to the intestinal microbiome. There was increased diversity of predominant taxonomic orders in the pyloric caeca, anterior, middle, and posterior intestinal sections of fish consuming wheat gluten. Despite these measurable changes, the data suggest that dietary inclusion of 4% wheat gluten is well tolerated by European sea bass in feed formulations. Together these findings underscore the need to evaluate tolerance to ingredients in aquaculture formulations on a species by species basis.
Plant miniature greenhouse

Abstract We report on the development of a miniature greenhouse for large-scale phenotyping of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. This greenhouse is capable of flexibly creating and varying a set of environmental conditions including temperature and light intensity through electronic circuits. The device uses light emitting diodes as light source, combines a thermoelectric cooler and a heater to fine tune the internal growth temperature, and uses a liquid crystal shutter to allow automatic imaging from outside of the device when needed. We demonstrate utility of the miniature greenhouse in conjunction with a vertical plant chip to continuously monitor both the vegetative and reproductive growth of wild-type and the immutans mutant of Arabidopsis. In addition, the phenotype and growth timeline of plants grown within the miniature greenhouses are highly comparable to previously published reports. Thus, this newly developed device can serve as a powerful platform for large and multi-scale level phenotyping of Arabidopsis plants with sufficient throughput, and under environmental conditions critical for plant growth.
Baylor University Medical Center’s leap to prominence: The 1972 conference “Great Ideas in Surgery”

In 1972, Baylor University Medical Center established the A. Webb Roberts Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences. The center included the Beulah Porter Beasley Memorial Auditorium and a 25,000-volume medical library. The author was fortunate enough to attend the 2-day meeting (November 3-4) as a fellow in cardiovascular surgery. The following account is based on his personal recollections but also on the papers published by the participants and bequeathed to him by the late chief of the Department of Surgery, Robert S. Sparkman, MD.
What does it take to scale-up a complex intervention? Lessons learned from the Connect-Home transitional care intervention.

Aims To discuss the multiple phases of research done to plan for wide-scale implementation (i.e. scale-up) of Connect-Home, a complex nurse-develop intervention. Barker et al.'s (Implementation Science, 2016, 11, 12) framework for intervention scale-up is applied to address the methods used to answer the following four questions: 'Who' needs to be involved in scale-up? 'What' intervention and implementation strategies need to be taken to scale? 'How' will scale-up be achieved? And what contextual factors influence 'when' scale-up is or is not successful? Design Discussion paper. Data sources Data sources include the experience of our research team, supported by literature and theory. The Connect-Home team conducted multiple research studies to plan for Connect-Home scale-up. Early studies (2008-2015) focused on formative work to design the Connect-Home intervention. Recent studies have involved successive pilot tests of Connect-Home's effectiveness, implementation, and scale-up (2015-2019). Implications for nursing This article describes a systematic approach that nurse researchers can apply to plan for taking their interventions to scale. Conclusions Planning for scale-up early in the process of intervention development is essential to speeding the translation of effective interventions into wide-scale practice. Impact This article details the methods that nursing researchers applied to develop and test the strategies needed to plan for taking a complex intervention to scale across multiple settings. The methods described are applicable to nursing and other health researchers' development and scale-up of any complex intervention.
One-Pot, Metal- and Azide-Free Synthesis of 1,2,3-Triazoles from α-Ketoacetals and Amines

An efficient one-pot two-step synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles from α-ketoacetals and amines is presented. The method does not use metals, azides, or oxidants, and is compatible with a variety of functional groups, including heterocycles, esters, nitriles, and carbamates.
Antibiotic Susceptibility, Clonality, and Molecular Characterization of Carbapenem-Resistant Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from Washington DC.

The occurrence of carbapenem-resistant (CR) strains of Acinetobacter baumannii is reported to contribute to the severity of several nosocomial infections, especially in critically ill patients in intensive care units. The present study aims to determine the antibiotic susceptibility, clonality, and genetic mechanism of carbapenem resistance in twenty-eight Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from four hospitals in Washington DC. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined by VITEK 2 analyses, while PCR was used to examine the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes and mobile genetic elements. Trilocus multiplex-PCR was used along with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for strain typing and for accessing clonal relationships among the isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated that 46% of the isolates were carbapenem-resistant and possessed MDR and XDR phenotypes. PFGE clustered the 28 isolates into seven clonal (C1-C7) complexes based on >75% similarity cut-off. Thirty-six percent of the isolates belonged to international clone II, while 29% were assigned to Group 4 by trilocus multiplex-PCR. Although the bla OXA-51-like gene was found in all the isolates, only 36% were positive for the bla OXA-23-like gene. PCR analysis also found a metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) gene (bla VIM ) in 71% of the isolates. Of the 13 CR isolates, 8 were PCR positive for both bla VIM and bla OXA-23-like genes, while 5 harbored only bla VIM gene. This study revealed the emergence of VIM carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii isolates, which has not been previously reported in the United States.
Abnormal Liver Tests in COVID-19: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study of 1,827 Patients in a Major U.S. Hospital Network.

Background and aims The coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality attributable to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure. Liver injury has been reported as a nonpulmonary manifestation of COVID-19, but characterization of liver test abnormalities and their association with clinical outcomes is incomplete. Approach and results We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,827 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized within the Yale-New Haven Health System between March 14, 2020 and April 23, 2020. Clinical characteristics, liver tests (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], alanine aminotransferase [ALT], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], total bilirubin [TBIL], and albumin) at three time points (preinfection baseline, admission, and peak hospitalization), and hospitalization outcomes (severe COVID-19, intensive care unit [ICU] admission, mechanical ventilation, and death) were analyzed. Abnormal liver tests were commonly observed in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, both at admission (AST 66.9%, ALT 41.6%, ALP 13.5%, and TBIL 4.3%) and peak hospitalization (AST 83.4%, ALT 61.6%, ALP 22.7%, and TBIL 16.1%). Most patients with abnormal liver tests at admission had minimal elevations 1-2× the upper limit of normal (ULN; AST 63.7%, ALT 63.5%, ALP 80.0%, and TBIL 75.7%). A significant proportion of these patients had abnormal liver tests prehospitalization (AST 25.9%, ALT 38.0%, ALP 56.8%, and TBIL 44.4%). Multivariate analysis revealed an association between abnormal liver tests and severe COVID-19, including ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and death; associations with age, male sex, body mass index, and diabetes mellitus were also observed. Medications used in COVID-19 treatment (lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and tocilizumab) were associated with peak hospitalization liver transaminase elevations >5× ULN. Conclusions Abnormal liver tests occur in most hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and may be associated with poorer clinical outcomes.
Emerging Continuous-Flow Blood Pump Technologies

The widespread acceptance of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation in the treatment of heart failure has revolutionized the way end-stage heart failure is treated. Advances in LVAD and other continuous-flow technology combined with a better understanding of patient selection has led to unparalleled survival as well as a reduction in the adverse event profile of these pumps. As our understanding of heart failure continues to grow, there is little doubt that emerging continuous-flow technologies will continue to play an important role for patients with end-stage heart failure.
Application of Near-Field and Far-Field Beam Shaping Techniques for High-Power Lasers

Technology advancement in deformable mirrors and liquid ciystal devices combined with advanced numerical algorithms lead to unique beam-shaping applications for high-power lasers. We present the techniques for near-field, far-field, and quasi-farfield beam shaping.
Identification of Functional Genetic Variants Associated With Alcohol Dependence and Related Phenotypes Using a High-Throughput Assay.

BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of alcohol dependence (AD) and related phenotypes have identified multiple loci, but the functional variants underlying the loci have in most cases not been identified. Noncoding variants can influence phenotype by affecting gene expression; for example, variants in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR) can affect gene expression posttranscriptionally. METHODS We adapted a high-throughput assay known as PASSPORT-seq (parallel assessment of polymorphisms in miRNA target sites by sequencing) to identify among variants associated with AD and related phenotypes those that cause differential expression in neuronal cell lines. Based upon meta-analyses of alcohol-related traits in African American and European Americans in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, we tested 296 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs with meta-analysis p values ≤ 0.001) that were located in 3'UTRs. RESULTS We identified 60 SNPs that affected gene expression (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05) in SH-SY5Y cells and 92 that affected expression in SK-N-BE(2) cells. Among these, 30 SNPs altered RNA levels in the same direction in both cell lines. Many of these SNPs reside in the binding sites of miRNAs and RNA-binding proteins and are expression quantitative trait loci of genes including KIF6,FRMD4A,CADM2,ADD2,PLK2, and GAS7. CONCLUSION The SNPs identified in the PASSPORT-seq assay are functional variants that might affect the risk for AD and related phenotypes. Our study provides insights into gene regulation in AD and demonstrates the value of PASSPORT-seq as a tool to screen genetic variants in GWAS loci for one potential mechanism of action.
On Replica Placement in High-Availability Storage Under Correlated Failure

A new model describing dependencies among system components as a directed graph is presented and used to solve a novel replica placement problem in data centers. A criterion for optimizing replica placements is formalized and explained. In this work, the optimization goal is to choose placements in which correlated failure events disable as few replicas as possible. A fast optimization algorithm is given for dependency models represented by trees. The main contribution of the paper is an $$On + \rho \log \rho $$On+i¾?logi¾? dynamic programming algorithm for placing $$\rho $$i¾? replicas on a tree with n vertices.
Direct oral anticoagulant use in gynecologic oncology: A Society of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Practice Statement

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in women with gynecologic malignancies. This practice statement provides clinical data and overall quality of evidence regarding the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in this patient population. Specifically, it reviews patient selection, safety measures, and nuances of perioperative use of these medications. The scope of this document is limited to DOAC use in gynecologic oncology rather than a broad discussion of VTE prophylaxis and management in general. The following recommendations and examination of extant data are based on DOAC trials conducted primarily in mixed populations with different cancer subtypes. Many of these trials include few, or no, women with gynecologic cancer. However, because there is very limited data in gynecologic cancer-specific populations, the results of these studies represent the best available evidence to support treatment recommendations in our patients. The members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Clinical Practice Committee believe that the results of these studies may be extrapolated, with caution, to VTE treatment and prophylaxis for patients with gynecologic cancer.