cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Beautyshop Stroke Education Project: The Physician's Office Is an Accurate Source for Stroke Knowledge among African-American Women (P04.063)

Objective: In this study, we looked at baseline source of knowledge and its impact on correct identification of risk factors (RF) and warning signs (WS) in a high-risk population. Background Knowledge of stroke RF and WS is poor in the high-risk population of African-Americans. Previous work demonstrated that by using a novel method of stroke education through beauty shops, African-American women gained knowledge of stroke RF but not WS. Design/Methods: Thirty African-American beauticians were educated about stroke WS and RF in 2 large urban areas in the US. The beauticians then educated African-American female clientele during appointments. Stroke knowledge was measured via pre- and post-assessment (6 weeks and 5 months) using surveys with open-ended questions. Source of knowledge was asked at baseline. Post-hoc multi-variable logistic regression adjusting for age, education, reported high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol was used to assess the impact of various knowledge sources on ability to correctly identify stroke RF and WS. Results: There were 383 completed baseline surveys. 41% knew 3 WS and 47% knew 3 RF. Family member or friend was the most common source of some stroke knowledge, 185 (48.3%), while 156 (40.7%) gained knowledge of stroke from a physician, and 148 (38.6%) from print media. Participants who obtained stroke knowledge from a physician had the highest odds of knowing 3 RF [OR 2.04 (95% CI: 1.30-3.20]. Similarly, with stroke WS, those educated by a physician had the highest odds of identifying 3 correct signs [OR 1.69 (CI: 1.08-2.64)]. Conclusions: In the Beautyshop Stroke Education Project, stroke knowledge was most likely obtained from family or friends. However, knowledge ascertained from a physician was most likely to impact the ability to correctly identify RF and WS. Additional efforts are needed to educate high-risk groups that may have limited physician access on stroke RF and WS. Disclosure: Dr. Natarajan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Khoury has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moomaw has nothing to disclose. Dr. Miller has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sailor-Smith has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frankel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kleindorfer has received personal compensation for activities with Genentech, Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as a speaker and participant on an advisory board.
Mechanisms of allograft tolerance induced by FasL chimeric protein decorated donor splenocytes

Objective To investigate the mechanisms of allograft tolerance induced by FasL-decorated donor splenocytes. Methods Chimeric FasL with core streptavidin(SA-FasL) was efficiently displayed on the surface of splenocytes by the technology of ProtExTM.Heterotopic heart transplant procedures were performed from donor WF rat to recipient ACI rat,F344 rat was used as third party.Intraperitoneal injection of "decorated" WF splenocytes into ACI rats was used as the approach to induce tolerance in this study.According to different therapeutic strategies,three groups were set up: SA-FasL group(n=23),SA group(n=20) and splenocyte only group(n=8).No treatment group was considered as control(n=10).Mixed lymphocyte reaction(MLR) and third party transplantation were performed to test allogenic tolerance.CD4+CD25+FoxP3+T regulatory(Treg) cells were detected in recipients and Treg cells from tolerant recipients were sorted for adoptive transfer. Results The long term survival rate(70%) of SA-FasL group was significantly higher than the other groups(P0.05).Antigen specific tolerance was identified by MLR and third party transplant.Rate of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+Treg in tolerant recipients in SA-FasL group was significantly higher than the other groups(P0.05).Tolerance could be adoptively transferred by treatment of Treg cells other than the splenocytes without Treg cells from tolerant recipients. Conclusions The direct display of SA-FasL on the cell membrane in a rapid and efficient manner provides a practical and clinically applicable means of immunomodulation for tolerance induction with considerable therapeutic potential for transplantation.Treg cells play an important role in the development and maintenance of immune tolerance.
Laboratory sampling. Does the process affect the outcome

With the rapidly changing healthcare environment, one of the many increasing tasks for the intravenous team is blood sampling. Laboratory test results are based on the quality of the patient's blood specimen. The preanalytic phase of laboratory testing accounts for 46% of laboratory testing errors, so it needs to be managed effectively to eliminate costly, inefficient, and sometimes life-threatening outcomes to patients. The use of quality blood collection procedures and an awareness of preanalytic errors are presented to lead to quality patient outcomes.
Nephrogenic adenoma arising in urethral diverticula. A report of five cases

Five cases of nephrogenic adenoma that arose within urethral diverticula are described. Four of the five women were under 40 years of age and one was 56 years old. Three presented to their gynecologists because of a "vaginal mass." Microscopic examination showed the typical tubular, cystic, and papillary patterns of nephrogenic adenoma. "Hobnail" cells were present in four cases and clear cells in two. The absence of four features, deep invasion, a prominent diffuse growth of glycogen-rich clear cells, significant nuclear atypia, and mitotic activity, argued against the diagnosis of clear-cell adenocarcinoma, which has a predilection to occur within urethral diverticula. Alertness to the possible presence of nephrogenic adenoma within a urethral diverticulum in a patient with predominantly gynecologic symptoms and knowledge of its morphologic variations is essential to prevent its misdiagnosis as clear-cell adenocarcinoma.
Prospects for developmental evidence in juvenile sentencing based on Miller v. Alabama

Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions barred mandatory life without parole for juvenile homicide (Miller v. Alabama, 2012) and applied Miller retroactively (Montgomery v. Louisiana, 2016). Miller identified several developmental factors to consider in mitigation, but left many questions unanswered abo
Conditional Value-at-Risk: Semiparametric estimation and inference

Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) plays an important role in financial risk management. Nonparametric CVaR estimation suffers from the “curse of dimensionality” and slow convergence rate. To overcome these issues, we study semiparametric CVaR estimation and inference for parametric model with nonparametric noise distribution. Under a general framework that allows for many widely used time series models, we propose a semiparametric CVaR estimator that achieves the parametric convergence rate. Furthermore, to draw simultaneous inference for CVaR at multiple confidence levels, we establish a functional central limit theorem for CVaR process indexed by the confidence level and use it to study the conditional expected shortfall. A user-friendly bootstrap approach is introduced to facilitate non-expert practitioners to perform confidence interval construction for CVaR. The methodology is illustrated through both Monte Carlo studies and an application to S&P 500 index.
A Nomogram for Atmospheric Radio Refraction

A six-stage nomogram is presented for determining the refraction of a radio wave entering the earth's atmosphere in terms of surface meteorological conditions and the apparent elevation angle of the incoming wave.
Chronic Adult Periodontitis

The term periodontal refers to any of the bony and soft tissues that support the teeth. Diseases of these supporting tissues affect the majority of the adult population throughout the world and are the major cause of loss of teeth in adults. The most common form of periodontal disease and the major consideration of this chapter is chronic adult periodontitis (CAP). The pathologic process(es) involved in CAP are initiated and sustained by bacteria in the dental plaque adherent to the teeth. In the absence of these bacteria, the disease can neither begin nor progress, but the destructive process of CAP does not appear to require the presence of organisms within the periodontal tissues. Thus, seman-tically, CAP is more properly classified as an infestation than an infection. As with other pathological infestations, bacterial products initiate the host response in the tissues; this response is the major source of destruction. Two of the most interesting aspects of the study of this disease concern the nature of the ecologie development of the initiating mixed bacterial flora and the mechanisms involved in the breakdown of supporting tissues by the host response. Indeed, much of the knowledge gained by researchers interested in the immunopathology of CAP is applicable to the mechanisms of tissue destruction in other chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (Snyderman and McCarty, 1982; Decker et al., 1984).
A model to predict the risk of infection of cucumber by Pseudoperonospora cubensis

Abstract Infection of cucurbits by Pseudoperonospora cubensis and subsequent development of cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) is primarily driven by prevailing weather factors. However, weather factors that influence the daily infection risk of cucurbits by P. cubensis have not been determined. Field experiments were conducted from 2012 to 2014 in Clayton, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina under naturally occurring inoculum. Weather factors were monitored during the study during which bioassay cucumber plants were exposed to prevailing weather conditions over a 24- and 48-h period. Disease severity was assessed 7 days after exposure and logistic regression models were developed to predict the probability of disease development on the bioassay plants. Hours of relative humidity >80% and day temperature were identified to be important predictors of the risk of infection for both the 24-h and 48-h cases. Threshold probability ( P T ) on the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) that minimized the overall error rate for the 24-h and 48-h model was 0.54 and 0.62, respectively. Model accuracy as estimated using area under ROC (AUC) ranged from 0.82 to 0.86, with a correct classification rate ranging from 0.73 to 0.80. Specificity rates of the models ranged from 0.72 to 0.86, while the sensitivity rates ranged from 0.71 to 0.76. External validation of the models using an independent dataset collected in South Carolina, showed good performance of the models with an AUC >0.91. Using estimates of economic damage and costs of management, optimal decision thresholds that minimized the average costs due to disease control and crop loss were determined. Optimal decision thresholds were dependent on disease prevalence and management decisions informed by the models reduced average costs when disease prevalence was ≤0.50 and ≤0.90 for the 24- and 48-h models, respectively. However, the value of using these models for making disease management decisions was greatest at low levels of disease prevalence. The P T for the validation models was 0.2 and under this threshold, the 24-h model had a correct classification, sensitivity and specificity rates of 0.88, 0.91 and 0.71, respectively, and the corresponding values for the 48-h model were 0.98, 0.97 and 1.0, respectively. These models provide accurate estimates of the daily infection risk of cucumber by P. cubensis and could serve as a useful decision support tool to guide fungicide applications to manage CDM during the growing season.
Use of Risk Information to Support NRC Human Factors License Amendment Reviews, Inspections, and Research

The mission of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is to protect the health and safety of the public and the environment with regards to the commercial use of radiological material. This paper describes various ways in which the NRC uses risk information to guide various human factors processes (such as nuclear power plant control room design and modification technical reviews, control room construction inspection efforts, and human factors research). Included are descriptions of observations and lessons learned utilizing risk insights and challenges associated with incorporating risk into NRC human factors processes and recommendations for improving this process within the organization.
Monetary conversion factors for economic evaluations of substance use disorders

Abstract Aims Estimating the economic consequences of substance use disorders (SUDs) is important for evaluating existing programs and new interventions. Policy makers in particular must weigh program effectiveness with scalability and sustainability considerations in deciding which programs to fund with limited resources. This study provides a comprehensive list of monetary conversion factors for a broad range of consequences, services, and outcomes, which can be used in economic evaluations of SUD interventions (primarily in the United States), including common co-occurring conditions such as HCV and HIV. Methods Economic measures were selected from standardized clinical assessment instruments that are used in randomized clinical trials and other research studies (e.g., quasi-experimental community-based projects) to evaluate the impact of SUD interventions. National datasets were also reviewed for additional SUD-related consequences, services, and outcomes. Monetary conversion factors were identified through a comprehensive literature review of published articles as well as targeted searches of other sources such as government reports. Results Eight service/consequence/outcome domains were identified containing more than sixty monetizable measures of medical and behavioral health services, laboratory services, SUD treatment, social services, productivity outcomes, disability outcomes, criminal activity and criminal justice services, and infectious diseases consequences. Unit-specific monetary conversion factors are reported, along with upper and lower bound estimates, whenever possible. Conclusions Having an updated and standardized source of monetary conversion factors will facilitate and improve future economic evaluations of interventions targeting SUDs and other risky behaviors. This exercise should be repeated periodically as new sources of data become available to maintain the timeliness, comprehensiveness, and quality of these estimates.
Mathematical Learning Disabilities

Publisher Summary The cognitive research on children has focused on the basic competencies in understanding number, counting, and their arithmetic skills. Children with mathematics learning disability (MLD) and, to a lesser extent, low achieving (LA) children show a deficit or delay in their processing of numbers (e.g., accessing the quantity associated with 3), learning of arithmetic procedures, and memorizing basic arithmetic facts. Most of these children understand basic counting concepts but are not as skilled as typically achieving children in their ability to monitor and retain counting errors in working memory, which in turn might contribute to their use of developmentally immature procedures and frequent errors when using counting to solve arithmetic problems. These learning difficulties are related in part to low average IQ (i.e., 90–95) and below average working memory capacity for children with MLD but not for LA children.
Continuing Patent Applications and Performance of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as of Fiscal Year 2017

This paper presents and analyzes data collected from United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reports and a series of FOIA requests for the period from 1996 to 2017. This is the ninth in a succession of studies of the impact of continuing patent applications on USPTO's performance. The data and analyses is set forth in three parts — the number, types, and disposition of patent applications being examined by the USPTO (the USPTO’s “input”); the number of applications allowed and patents issued by the USPTO (the USPTO’s “output”); and the number of pending applications and the average pendency for an application (the “difference” or commonly referred to as the USPTO’s “backlog”). Highlights of this update include the fact that Application Allowance Rates corrected for Refiled Continuing Applications have continued to increase, reaching 96% in FY 2017, approaching the record 99% in FY 2001. Consistent with the increase in Application Allowance Rates, the number of Applications Allowed (340,388) and Patents Issued (316,973) rose to record levels. The number of Abandoned Applications that were Refiled continued to increase to 197,581, double those that were Not Refiled. The number of Applications Allowed (340,388) was nearly three and one-half times the number of Applications Abandoned Without Refiling (98,991). UPR Application Backlogs declined slightly as a consequence of the increase in Application Allowances.
Simulation of the linear rheological behavior of silica-filled, star-shaped SBR compounds

The rheological behavior of star-shaped SSBR/silica 60 phr compounds with different filler surface areas was experimentally studied and simulated using constitutive modeling. Rheological behavior was characterized in small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and stress relaxation after a small step shear. Unfilled SBR and SBR filled with four different silica grades with BET surface areas of 55, 135, 160, and 195 m2/g were used. A clear trend in rheological behavior was observed with surface area. A frequency sweep in the SAOS regime indicated an increase in dynamic properties with surface area. Additionally, linear stress relaxation tests at a strain level of 0.05 showed an increase in relaxation modulus with surface area and the presence of a plateau in the relaxation modulus at large times in compounds containing silica with high surface areas. The Leonov and Simhambhatla-Leonov models, modified to incorporate multimode particle network relaxation, were successfully used to simulate the frequency dependence of the storage modulus and the time evolution of the linear relaxation modulus for all samples. However, simulations of the frequency dependence of the loss modulus showed poor results in comparison with experimental data for the filled compounds.
Magneto-electric magnetic tunnel junction based analog circuit options

The magneto-electric magnetic tunnel junction (ME-MTJ) is a voltage controlled beyond CMOS device based on the principle of ME anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) exchange biasing of chromia (Cr 2 O 3 ) and the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of a magnetic tunnel junction (fixed/free ferromagnet (FM) stack). These devices have previously been demonstrated for the implementation of digital logic and memory applications. We here demonstrate their analog capabilities with a variety of analog functions adapted specifically to the characteristics of ME-MTJ — based devices. The novel circuit options proposed in this paper includes a ME-MTJ based analog comparator and the two variations of an 8-level analog-to-digital converter (ADC) using serial and parallel ME-MTJ circuit configurations.
Response by O’Byrne et al to Letter Regarding Article, “Effect of Obesity and Underweight Status on Perioperative Outcomes of Congenital Heart Operations in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: An Analysis of Data From the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database”

We thank Drs Galyfos and Filis for their letter regarding our article.1 We acknowledge the tremendous effort to study the association of body mass index and outcomes following surgery in older adults. The population of young patients with congenital heart disease, although diverse, is distinctly different from older adults with acquired cardiovascular disease. The natural histories …
Air Population over the Great Plains

Early trails through the Great Plains remind us that humans have passed through the area for many years. The area was seen as an impediment; the purpose was simply to get to the other side. The Gre...
A Computer-Supported Meeting Environment for Policy Exercises

Complex and long-range issues present significant challenges to policy-making methods such as computerized models and expert panels. Policy exercises are recognized as a more open and appropriate way to synthesize information, tools, and methods in policy-making. From brainstorming to questionnaires, from group dictionary to stakeholder identification, more tools and methods are now automated and/or supported. This article, after reviewing policy exercises, describes a COmputer-Supported Meeting Environment (COSME) framework and evaluates the use of that information technology to support policy exercises. A possible extension of policy exercises to electronic meeting systems with global reach is mentioned.
Braille Reading Rates as a Function of Reading Tasks

This study of the cognitive processes of braille reading compared the reading of 23 adult braille readers in four different reading conditions: oral reading, silent reading, studying, and scanning....
Surface area and particle size distribution of plutonium oxides derived from the direct oxidation of Pu metal

Abstract The intent of this paper is to interrogate the physical characteristics of PuO2 powders and aggregates produced by direct metal oxidation to examine possible relationships between process parameters and the physical characteristics of the product. The majority of the PuO2 samples considered were generated during the pre-production and production phases of the Advanced Recovery and Integrated Extraction System (ARIES) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Oxide formed passively on Pu metal surfaces at ambient atmospheric conditions is also characterized. Plutonium oxide powders from the ARIES Direct Metal Oxidation (DMO) furnace and muffle furnace process lines are very consistent in terms of their bulk and tapped density, specific surface area (SSA) and particle size distribution (PSD). The SSAs of calcined PuO2 generated in the ARIES DMO-2 and muffle furnaces are between 0.1 and 0.5 m2/g. Oxides from both the DMO-2 and muffle furnaces also had similar tri-modal PSDs with maxima at 0.73–3.16 μm, 10.9–18.5 μm, and 41.3–63.0 μm. The PSDs of the oxide formed passively on Pu metal surfaces at ambient conditions were unimodal, with near-Gaussian distributions and D50 close to 1 μm. The oxide formed passively at ambient conditions also had significantly higher SSAs (6–8 m2/g). A documented process upset that originated from a heater element failure in DMO-2 resulted in significantly lower oxidation temperatures, and produced oxide having a slightly greater SSA, and lower bulk and tapped densities. Macroscopic (by quantitative sieving) and microscopic (by laser diffraction of aqueous suspensions) PSDs of the oxide produced during this interval are characterized by depleted large-diameter particle populations. We speculate that the lack of large particles in the aggregate emerging from DMO-2 during the temperature anomaly reflects a change in the thermal regime during oxidation which favors the generation of finer-grained aggregate.
Amino acid and lipid profiles following pig-to-primate liver xenotransplantation.

As outcomes in clinical liver transplantation steadily improve, demand continues to exceed supply, leading to a substantial disparity in organ availability. The translation of porcine liver xenotransplantation (LXT) into a clinical reality aims to address this dilemma. Our laboratory has previously established an applicable model of α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT-KO) pig-to-primate LXT with continuous human coagulation factor infusion and costimulation blockade. This report aims to further investigate the post-LXT lipid and amino acid metabolism profile in our longest surviving recipients (25 and 29 days). Experimental samples and control samples, consisting of pre-transplant porcine and baboon serum and plasma, were analyzed for standard lipid profiles and for amino acid levels. Lipid profiles of LXT recipients remained stable following xenotransplantation compared to donor porcine baseline levels. Amino acid concentrations also remained similar to baseline controls, with the exception of a 3-fold increase in l-ornithine and more than a 10-fold decrease in l-arginine post-transplant when compared to both porcine and baboon baseline levels. The observed changes in l-arginine are consistent with prior studies investigating the effects of graft preservation injury following liver transplantation. These results indicate that the porcine liver can maintain most biochemical profiles stably post-operatively in baboons and suggest that arginine supplementation post-LXT may potentially be useful for further prolongation of xenograft survival.
Mutation and gene copy number of KRAS, BRAF, HER2 and PIK3CA in colorectal cancer

1686 Background: Colorectal cancer is a multistep disease requiring various mutations as well as increased gene copy number of several genes for its progression. In colon cancer, Ras-Raf-Mek and PIK3CA-Akt signaling pathways are activated through multiple mechanisms. The aim of this study is to analyze the occurrence of mutations and abnormal gene copy number of KRAS, BRAF, HER2 and PIK3CA that are related to those pathways. Methods: We analyzed the mutation status of KRAS (codon 12, 13 and 61), BRAF (exon 11 and 15), HER2 (exon 19 and 20) and PIK3CA (exon 9 and 20) in 19 colon cancer cell lines and 171 resected colorectal tumors from patients in the United States (60) and Japan (111). We also examined the same samples for gene copy number using quantitative real time PCR. Gene copy number more than 4.0 in cell lines and 3.5 in clinical samples were considered as increased copy number. For the functional analysis, we established stable knockdown of KRAS and PIK3CA in cell lines (HCT116 and HCT15) that have mutations of both KRAS and PIK3CA. Furthermore, we performed colony formation assay using these cell lines. Results: We identified mutations of KRAS (52.6%, 42.7%), BRAF (15.7%, 6.4%), HER2 (5.3%, 0%) and PIK3CA (15.7%, 8.2%) in colon cancer cell lines and resected colorectal tumors, respectively. We could not find any mutations in codon 61 of KRAS, exon 11 of BRAF and HER2 in resected tumors. We found that mutations of KRAS and BRAF were mutually exclusive. Two cell lines and 7 resected tumors had mutations in both KRAS and PIK3CA. We detected increased gene copy number of KRAS (36.8%, 9.4%), BRAF (31.6%, 8.8%), HER2 (21.0%, 5.8%) and PIK3CA (31.6%, 1.8%) in cell lines and resected tumors, respectively. Increased gene copy number of all genes was not found in any T1 tumor and only one resected tumor less than 2 cm had increased gene copy number of BRAF. Frequencies of increased copy number of HER2 were 1.7% and 8.1% from the United States and Japan, respectively (P=0.086). High gene copy number more than 10 from resected tumors were found in KRAS (1 of 171) and HER2 (3 of 171) and all of them were located in left colon. Individually knocking down of KRAS and PIK3CA by shRNA expression plasmid resulted in absent expression of phosphorylated Mek and phosphorylated Akt, respectively, and inhibited cell growth of KRAS and PIK3CA mutant cells. Conclusion: Mutations and increased gene copy number of KRAS, BRAF, HER2 and PIK3CA are present in a subset of colon cancers; especially KRAS and PIK3CA mutations. Knockdown of KRAS or PIK3CA led to inhibition of growth of KRAS or PIK3CA mutant cells, suggesting that KRAS and PIK3CA may be a candidate for targeting therapy in colon cancer.
Predictors of early-onset neonatal sepsis or death among newborns born at <32 weeks of gestation.

OBJECTIVE To develop a predictive model for early-onset neonatal sepsis or death among infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation. STUDY DESIGN This was a case-control study of all deliveries <32 weeks between 2011 and 2015 in a single tertiary care center. Cases were defined as neonates diagnosed with early-onset sepsis based on a blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture or neonates who expired during the first week of life. Controls consisted of neonates without these outcomes. Variables previously identified to be associated with neonatal sepsis or death were abstracted from the medical record. Bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine independent risk factors for early-onset neonatal sepsis or death. An ROC curve was created and AUC calculated to estimate the predictive capacity of these associations. RESULTS Of 779 eligible neonates, early-onset neonatal sepsis or death occurred in 73 (9.4%). In bivariable analyses, mothers whose neonates were diagnosed with early-onset sepsis or death were more likely to be obese, have an intrapartum fever, and have meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and were less likely to have received betamethasone or antepartum/intrapartum antibiotics. Gestational age at delivery and birth weight was significantly lower among neonates diagnosed with neonatal sepsis or death. In multivariable analyses, factors remaining independently associated with neonatal sepsis or death were earlier gestational age at the time of delivery (specifically <28 weeks), intrapartum fever, presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and lower birth weight. The AUC for this regression was 0.81 (95% confidence interval 0.77-0.83). CONCLUSION Earlier gestational age at the time of delivery, intrapartum fever, meconium, and lower birth weight are independently associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis or death among deliveries occurring at <32 weeks of gestation; these factors can be used to create a model with fair predictive capability.
Reaction paths for hydrodeoxygenation of furfuryl alcohol at TiO2/Pd interfaces

Abstract Metal–metal oxide interfaces can manipulate catalytic selectivity in multistep reactions, including hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of biomass derivatives like furfuryl alcohol. These interfaces combine active sites of different functionalities towards hydrogen activation, HDO and subsequent hydrogenation. However, examining the interplay between these different sites is essential to achieve control over the interfacial properties, and thus over the reaction selectivity towards 2-methylfuran. Herein, through DFT calculations, we investigate the role of TiO2 encapsulated Pd interfacial sites towards dictating HDO product selectivity. A rutile TiO2 (1 1 0) nanowire over a Pd (1 1 1) surface is used as the interfacial model. TiO2/Pd sites are found to provide a bifunctional role at the interface. The results show that TiO2 generates reduced oxide sites such that C O bond of furfuryl alcohol is activated relative to Pd (1 1 1), with the alcohol group re-oxidizing the reduced site. The Pd surface activates H2 and enables hydrogenation to the final product. Consequently, deoxygenation is accelerated over a TiO2−x/Pd oxygen deficient interface, with an approximate kinetic analysis suggesting that reduced interfacial sites accelerate direct deoxygenation by ∼108 at 443 K, altering the Pd selectivity from the undesired furan product to the desired 2-methylfuran.
Acylation and palladium-mediated couplings of maltol, a biobased γ-pyrone

Abstract Maltol triflate 3 undergoes palladium-mediated carbon-carbon bond formation with styrene, boronic acids and alkynes. Benzyl ether 2 can be acylated. The acylation products can be readily converted into furo[3,2-b]pyranones.
Structure and optical properties of perovskite-embedded dual-phase microcrystals synthesized by sonochemistry

Cesium lead halide perovskite (CsPbX3, X=Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals embedded in Cs4PbX6 or CsPb2X5 matrices have received interests due to their excellent optical properties. However, their precise endotaxial structures are not known, and the origin of photoluminescence remains controversial. Here we report a sonochemistry technique that allowed us to synthesize high-quality CsPbBr3-based microcrystals in all ternary phases, simply by adjusting precursor concentrations in a polar aprotic solvent, N,N-dimethylformamide. The microcrystals with diverse morphologies enabled us to visualize the lattice alignments in the dual-phase composites and confirm CsPbBr3 nanocrystals being the photoluminescent sites. We demonstrate high solid-state quantum yield of >40% in Cs4PbBr6/CsPbBr3 and lasing of CsPbBr3 microcrystals as small as 2 µm in size. Real-time optical analysis of the reaction solutions provides insights into the formation and phase transformation of different CsPbBr3-based microcrystals. The origin of the excellent photoluminescence properties of embedded cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals remains to be fully understood. Here the authors visualize lattice alignments in dual-phase Cs4PbBr6 and CsPb2Br5 composites synthesized by sonochemistry and find that the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals are responsible for the luminescence.
Outcomes of Adult Patients With Septic Shock Undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy.

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been shown to provide benefits in children, but not adults, with septic shock. This study described the clinical outcomes of adults in septic shock who underwent ECMO. Methods This study retrospectively investigated adults who were supported on venoarterial or venovenous modes of ECMO and who had septic shock at the time of cannulation from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016 at a quaternary medical center in the United States. The primary outcomes were rate of survival to hospital discharge and time to survival using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. This study analyzed survival by mode, previous cardiac arrest, and timing of cannulation ( Results Of 243 patients supported on ECMO during this 7-year period, 32 met the criteria for septic shock, and the majority had a pulmonary source of infection (72%). The most common mode of support was venovenous ECMO (65%), and median ejection fraction was 51%. Median time on ECMO was 5.8 days (interquartile range, 2.6, 11.3 days). Survival to hospital discharge was 13 of 32 (41%), whereas median survival was 14.5 days (interquartile range, 5.2, 23.7 days). There was no statistically significant difference in survival by subgroup, including ECMO mode. Health care–associated infections were frequent (25%). Conclusions This cohort of patients undergoing ECMO had equivalent median survival compared with literature-based estimates of other cohorts of patients with septic shock.
CRISPR C-to-G base editors for inducing targeted DNA transversions in human cells

CRISPR-guided DNA cytosine and adenine base editors are widely used for many applications1–4 but primarily create DNA base transitions (that is, pyrimidine-to-pyrimidine or purine-to-purine). Here we describe the engineering of two base editor architectures that can efficiently induce targeted C-to-G base transversions, with reduced levels of unwanted C-to-W (W = A or T) and indel mutations. One of these C-to-G base editors (CGBE1), consists of an RNA-guided Cas9 nickase, an Escherichia coli–derived uracil DNA N-glycosylase (eUNG) and a rat APOBEC1 cytidine deaminase variant (R33A) previously shown to have reduced off-target RNA and DNA editing activities5,6. We show that CGBE1 can efficiently induce C-to-G edits, particularly in AT-rich sequence contexts in human cells. We also removed the eUNG domain to yield miniCGBE1, which reduced indel frequencies but only modestly decreased editing efficiency. CGBE1 and miniCGBE1 enable C-to-G edits and will serve as a basis for optimizing C-to-G base editors for research and therapeutic applications. A new base editor enables the creation of C-to-G base changes in human cells.
Coalitions, Corruption, and Crisis: The End of Brazil’s Third Republic?

This essay reviews the following works: Democracia em risco? 22 ensaios sobre o Brasil hoje. By Sergio Abranches and twenty-three others. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2018. Pp. 328. R$69.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788535932027. Presidencialismo de coalizao: Raizes e evolucao do modelo politico brasileiro. By Sergio Abranches. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2018. Pp. 434. R$69.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788535931556. Brazil Apart: 1964–2019. By Perry Anderson. London: Verso, 2019. Pp. 224. $21.56 hardcover. ISBN: 9781788737944. Dinheiro, eleicoes e poder: As engrenagens do sistema politico brasileiro. By Bruno Carazza. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2018. Pp. 324. R$69.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788535931259. Valsa brasileira: Do boom ao caos economico. By Laura Carvalho. Sao Paulo: Todavia, 2018. Pp. 192. R$49.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788593828621. Coalitional Presidentialism in Comparative Perspective: Minority Presidents in Multiparty Systems. By Paul Chaisty, Nic Cheeseman, and Timothy J. Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press. US$85.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9780198817208. O lulismo em crise: Um quebra-cabeca do periodo Dilma (2011–2016). By Andre Singer. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2018. Pp. 392. R$54.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788535931150. A batalha dos poderes: Da transicao democratica ao mal-estar constitucional. By Oscar Vilhena Vieira. Sao Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2018. Pp. 233. R$49.90 paperback. ISBN: 9788535931815.
Probing Phonological Processing Differences in Nonword Repetition for Children with Separate or Co-Occurring Dyslexia and Developmental Language Disorder

We assessed nonword repetition (NWR) skills in 7–9 year-old children with dyslexia (dyslexia-only), developmental language disorder (DLD-only), co-occurring DLD+dyslexia, and typical development (T...
Diagnostic performance of routine electrophoresis and immunofixation for the detection of immunoglobulin paraproteins (M-Proteins) in dogs with multiple myeloma and related disorders: Part 2—Toward improved diagnostic performance

Background The diagnostic performance of routine electrophoresis (agarose gel electrophoresis [AGE] and capillary zone electrophoresis [CZE]) and species-specific immunofixation (IF) for the detection of immunoglobulin paraproteins (M-proteins) and diagnosis of secretory myeloma-related disorders (sMRD) can be improved. Available canine IF targets were IgG-FC, IgA, IgM, light chain (LC), IgG4, and free LC (fLC) antibodies. Objective We aimed to review specific features associated with the presence of M-proteins in canine serum samples and the common features causing inaccurate reporting of M-proteins to improve the diagnostic performance of routine electrophoresis and IF for the detection of M-proteins. Methods Features found in AGE, CZE, routine IF, IgG4 IF, and fLC IF of 100 canine serum samples from Part 1 of this study were evaluated by simple and multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with the presence of M-proteins. Cases falsely called negative or positive for M-proteins were reviewed to identify the common features that could be used to increase the diagnostic performance of SPE and IF for M-protein detection. Results The presence of hypogammaglobulinemia or any peak taller than albumin was associated with an M-protein. Total protein concentrations, globulin concentrations, or peaks wider than albumin were not associated with an M-protein. Free LC sMRD cases were not diagnosed by SPE and routine IF. Cases with infectious and inflammatory etiologies had a restricted polyclonal gammopathy with multiple γ-globulin restrictions resulting in some false-positive results. SPE combined with all available IF results and the specific features identified in this study had an estimated sensitivity of 95.1% and specificity of 81.4%. Conclusions The identified criteria of this study increase the diagnostic performance of the electrophoretic evaluation for M-proteins.
No Patients Having Elective Outpatient Orthopaedic Surgery Performed in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Using Preoperative Screening Protocols During the Coronavirus Pandemic Developed COVID-19.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of elective, outpatient orthopaedic sports procedures during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at a high-volume orthopaedic practice. Methods: All patients who were scheduled for elective, outpatient orthopaedic sports medicine procedures at one of two of outpatient surgical centers between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 were asked to complete a custom survey during a post-operative clinic visit or phone call at a minimum of two-weeks or were subject to a routine screening questionnaire and temperature screen at the time of the first post-operative follow-up visit. The survey questionnaire assessed for any COVID-19-related symptoms. Surgical case logs were retrieved to review for any cancelled surgeries due to a positive pre-operative COVID-19 test. Results: A total of 3.5% of patients (n=39/1119) scheduled for surgery were diagnosed with COVID-19 during preoperative testing, resulting in surgical cancellation. Patients with a positive pre-operative COVID-19 test were found to be significantly younger (46 ± 20 years) when compared to all other patients with a negative test (51 ± 21 years; p=0.002). No patient was diagnosed with COVID-19, reported symptoms concerning for COVID infection, underwent additional testing, or reported close contact with another individual with a positive test or possessed symptoms concerning for COVID-19 at a minimum of two-weeks post-operatively. Conclusion: This study found that 3.5% of patients tested positive for COVID-19 and were significantly younger when compared to patients testing negative. No patient investigated for potential infection post-operatively reported the development of any symptoms related to COVID-19 or reported a positive test post-operatively. Using current protocols for pre-operative screening, elective outpatient orthopaedic surgery performed in an ASC is safe with no documented cases of COVID-19 transmission in this cohort.
A narrative review: has regionalization truly achieved its intended goal in the surgical management of pancreatic cancer?

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this narrative review is to present the data to date on the volume-outcome association in pancreas cancer surgery and describe the prevalence of and barriers to regionalized pancreas cancer care in western health systems. BACKGROUND Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between increasing hospital or surgeon volume and improved patient morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery for pancreas cancer. However, since the initial promotion of minimum volume standards, regionalization has remained difficult to establish. METHODS A PubMed literature search for years 1995-2020 was conducted to target original research on the volume-outcome association in pancreas cancer and the prevalence of associated regionalized care systems. Peer reviewed original research studies were selected based on their study design and potential to inform meaningful conclusions from the data. CONCLUSIONS Increasing hospital or surgeon volume is associated with improved short and long-term survival in pancreas cancer patients undergoing surgical resection. Despite the knowledge that increasing hospital and surgeon volume is associated with improved operative mortality and long term survival in pancreas cancer, the majority of patients undergo surgery at low volume hospitals with low volume surgeons. Barriers to regionalization are complex and involve the interaction of many conflicting factors and processes on human, health system, and national levels. Better understanding of the barriers to regionalization in pancreas cancer care is needed before this model of care becomes feasible.
Beam Focusing by using Scattering From Drones

Beam focusing is commonly done by using phased arrays. However, the size of a phased array typically increases as the frequency is lowered, making beamforming at lower frequencies more difficult to achieve. For example, at 30 MHz, the wavelength is about 10 meters, making the needed element separation in the range of 5–10 meters. Such a large array would be difficult to easily make in a mobile or airborne form. One possible solution is to use drones as the radiating elements, since it is easy to position them almost arbitrarily in space. Such a drone-based array could be useful in certain applications. For example, communications between a transmitter and a remote receiver might be blocked, so that there is no direct line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver. This might happen, for example, if the transmitter is located inside of a forest or mountainous region. In this case the drone swarm could be used as a relay between the transmitter and receiver, flying at a sufficient altitude to overcome the blockage. (The transceiver that is located inside the forest or mountainous region is being thought of as the transmitter for convenience.)
Canada and the United States: Winners or Losers from Pillar One Amount A?

On 4 February 2021, in a panel on “Digitalisation of the Economy: OECD Blueprints Discussion” at the Canadian Tax Foundation’s virtual Transfer Pricing Conference, I spoke about possible winners and losers from the OECD’s Pillar One “Amount A” proposals. My estimates focused on tax jurisdictions grouped by GDP and region. During the session, the chair Shiraj Keshvani (PwC Canada) asked about the likely impacts of Amount A on Canada, my country of birth. This article found its own birth in my attempt to answer that question. I examine the “tax base receiving” and “tax base relieving” impacts of Amount A on high-income (HI) jurisdictions in the Americas. Since the HI Americas group is dominated the United States and Canada, finer-grained estimates of Amount A impacts are possible. My results show that the HI Americas group, and thus Canada and the United States, are likely to be losing tax jurisdictions under Amount A.
Beck-type identities: new combinatorial proofs and a modular refinement

Let $${\mathcal {O}}_r(n)$$ be the set of r-regular partitions of n, $${\mathcal {D}}_r(n)$$ the set of partitions of n with parts repeated at most $$r-1$$ times, $${\mathcal {O}}_{1,r}(n)$$ the set of partitions with exactly one part (possibly repeated) divisible by r, and let $${\mathcal {D}}_{1,r}(n)$$ be the set of partitions in which exactly one part appears at least r times. If $$E_{r, t}(n)$$ is the excess in the number of parts congruent to $$t \pmod r$$ in all partitions in $${\mathcal {O}}_r(n)$$ over the number of different parts appearing at least t times in all partitions in $${\mathcal {D}}_r(n)$$ , then $$E_{r, t}(n) = |{\mathcal {O}}_{1,r}(n)| = |{\mathcal {D}}_{1,r}(n)|$$ . We prove this analytically and combinatorially using a bijection due to Xiong and Keith. As a corollary, we obtain the first Beck-type identity, i.e., the excess in the number of parts in all partitions in $$\mathcal {O}_r(n)$$ over the number of parts in all partitions in $$\mathcal {D}_r(n)$$ equals $$(r - 1)|\mathcal {O}_{1,r}(n)|$$ and also $$(r - 1)|\mathcal {D}_{1,r}(n)|$$ . Our work provides a new combinatorial proof of this result that does not use Glaisher’s bijection. We also give a new combinatorial proof based of the Xiong–Keith bijection for a second Beck-type identity that has been proved previously using Glaisher’s bijection.