cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Localization of chitin in walls of Wangiella dermatitidis using colloidal gold-labeled chitinase

riety changed from green to buffy-gold on extended exposure to bright sunlight. Spores not exposed to sunlight were unchanged in color after two years. A buffy-gold spore print has also been reported for certain tropical Chlorophyllum species (1) and sometimes for C. molybdites (5). Spore color varies very little in Lepiota cristata. The discovery of a green-spored variant may have some taxonomic significance for the Lepiotaceae. The authors want to thank Roy E. Halling for his encouragement and helpful suggestions in the preparation of this article.
A retrospective analysis of liver resection performed without central venous pressure monitoring

Abstract Background Studies have suggested that blood loss can be reduced during liver resection by monitoring and maintaining low central venous pressure (CVP) through fluid restriction or other means, but such a strategy carries risks to the patient including those inherent to central venous catheterization. We sought to characterize fluid management and blood loss during liver resections done without CVP monitoring. Methods Retrospective data were extracted from electronic anesthesia records for 993 liver resections. For 135 resections, between 2011 through 2013, where a documentation template was used that recorded fluid administration prior to hepatic inflow occlusion, multivariate analysis was performed to test for an association between pre-clamp fluid volumes administered and blood loss and other adverse outcomes. Results The median estimated blood loss was 300 mL and overall rate of transfusion was 8.6%. There was no statistically significant association between crystalloid volume administered prior to inflow clamping (median 900 mL) and blood loss, mortality or length of stay in the subset of patients with supplemental fluid data. Conclusion Liver resection can be performed safely without either CVP monitoring or non-invasive continuous cardiac output monitoring. Additionally, there was no disadvantage to a practical approach to fluid administration prior to inflow clamping during liver resections in the absence of CVP monitoring with regard to blood loss or short-term outcomes.
Hemodynamic and neurohumoral responses to dynamic exercise: normal subjects versus patients with heart disease.

Exercise testing has assumed a position of growing importance in the assessment of patients with chronic congestive heart failure. The hemodynamic and neurohumoral adjustments that occur during dynamic exercise are very complex, but are basically designed to ensure that oxygen delivery is commensurate with oxygen demand. These responses are clearly altered in the presence of certain types of heart disease. Patients with chronic congestive heart failure have an attenuated heart rate and blood pressure response throughout exercise, but this is most clearly evident when the data are expressed as a percent of peak oxygen consumption (JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2) rather than as a function of absolute JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2. Likewise, the sympathetic response to exercise is altered in patients with heart failure. Plasma norepinephrine is normally augmented as a function of JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2 during exercise, but this augmentation occurrs during the later stages (beyond 50% of peak JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2). Patients with congestive heart failure show a greater than normal augmentation of plasma norepinephrine during exercise when the data are expressed in terms of absolute JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2. However, when the data are expressed as a percent of peak JOURNAL/circ/beta/00003017-198712001-00003/ENTITY_OV0312/v/2016-08-19T113130Z/r/image-pngO2, there appears to be a relative attenuation of the sympathetic response to exercise. Current information suggests that increased plasma norepinephrine and renin activity during exercise in patients with heart failure are not directly related to a decrement in nutritive blood flow to skeletal muscles. The mechanisms responsible for exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure are not known, but do not seem directly related to a decrement in cardiac output or an increase in left ventricular filling pressure. The metabolic consequences of impaired nutritive blood flow during exercise may ultimately influence respiratory gas exchange to the extent that breathlessness and fatigue are experienced.
A discussion of electrophoresis with special reference to serum and allergens

Abstract The nature of the charging process of protein molecules leads to statistical values of the net charge. The large number of differences in the value of the net charge makes the electrophoretic technique desirable for purposes of separation of proteins from one another. This procedure has been greatly improved by the development of the Tiselius moving boundary technique. The application of the Tiselius technique to a study of the components of sera, to the properties of allergic antibodies, and to the fractionation of ragweed pollen extract is briefly outlined.
Organizational citizenship behavior and the enhancement of absorptive capacity

Abstract Firm-level absorptive capacity has been conceptualized as the capability of the firm to identify, assimilate/transform, and exploit new knowledge. Despite the fact that the role of individuals strongly influenced the original conceptualization of the construct, the role of individuals in developing organizational absorptive capacity has been largely ignored. Meanwhile, studies have shown that individual-level behaviors known as organizational citizenship behaviors are related to indicators of organizational performance, yet there have been relatively few theoretically-based arguments explaining this relationship. In this paper, we articulate a model that depicts how the organizational citizenship behaviors of individuals enhance a firm's absorptive capacity. Specifically, we propose that citizenship behaviors moderate the relationship between routines and processes and the exploratory, assimilative, transformative, and exploitative learning capabilities that comprise organizational absorptive capacity.
Wobbling with Writing: Challenging Existing Paradigms of Secondary Writing Instruction and Finding New Possibilities.

We explore three primary paradigms that continue to dominate writing instruction in secondary schools. By illustrating these paradigms, exploring their underlying assumptions with two classes of preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a required course on teaching writing and identifying theoretical and pedagogical alternatives, we examine how models of teacher preparation can invite teacher educators and PSTs to “wobble” with and, consequently critique, their deeply held beliefs about writing instruction. We analyze data collected in two major course projects completed at the beginning and end of the course to demonstrate how supporting PSTs in critiquing and exploring alternative approaches to teaching writing can enable them to challenge the “methods du jour” that emerge as a result of problematic models of school assessment and policy. Ultimately, this study illustrates promising interventions for helping PSTs do more than simply teach writing in formulaic ways at the expense of addressing students’ ne...
The Equity Trustee

As we reel from the effects of a recent financial disaster, it is apparent that there is a significant gap in corporate governance and accountability for management. One reason why we have experienced this financial cataclysm is the inability of shareholders to do the “shareholder job.” Shareholders, as the putative owners of corporations, hold a venerated place in corporate governance. They are responsible for electing directors and monitoring management as well as valuing companies through trades in a vigorous market. The shareholder collective action problem and resulting rational apathy have kept shareholders from effectively fulfilling their role in corporate governance. Individual shareholders have interests that differ and, sometimes, financial interests at odds with those of the corporation. Even if the collective action problem could be overcome and some shareholders decided to take a more active role in corporate affairs, their decisions might not align with those of the rest of the shareholder class. Shareholder powers have always been weak, but, because of the enduring collective action problem, they are now virtually meaningless. This article suggests a solution to the shareholder collective problem. It proposes the use of an “equity trustee,” or shareholder representative, to serve as a sophisticated party to perform the shareholder job. An equity trustee would represent the equity interest as a whole, overcoming the diverging interests of individual shareholders, to do the shareholder job of monitoring management and remaining informed about corporate affairs in a manner designed to further the goal of long-term corporate wealth maximization. The use of an equity trustee may also provide a solution to some of the market failures that led to the recent financial crisis such as an unhealthy focus on short-term increases in stock price and the seeming entrenchment of corporate officers and directors. Effective performance of the shareholder job may significantly improve corporate governance and accountability.
Theoretical Cell Survival Probability for Preclinical Evaluation of BNCT Treatment Conditions

Conventionally, cell survival parameters can be experimentally measured in cell culture system. Using these parameters, cell survival curves vs. absorbed dose are plotted. However, this classical approach cannot explicitly describe cell survival variation with individual treatment conditions, such as beam spectra and field sizes. The emphasis in this paper is on the development of a computational protocol to directly calculate the theoretical cell survival probability regarding BNCT treatment conditions. Macroscopic dosimetry is in principle not sufficient to accurately evaluate BNCT therapeutic efficacy, which depends on 10B-distributions at the cellular and subcellular levels.1 Therefore, in this paper a treatment condition is characterized by the choice of boron carrier drugs (boronophenylalanine, BPA, or boron sulfhydryl hydride, BSH), two different neutron beam spectra, and single or bilateral exposures. The radiation transport from the neutron source to a patient’s tumor is calculated using Monte Carlo methods. With an assumed tolerance dose (l0.5Gy-Eq), a cell survival probability is determined for a given treatment condition. The cell survival probability applies to a simple model of tumor control probability (TCP) by radiotherapy,2 based on the principle that every tumor clonogen must be killed to achieve tumor control.3
Dexmedetomidine for refractory adrenergic crisis in familial dysautonomia.

Adrenergic crises are a cardinal feature of familial dysautonomia (FD). Traditionally, adrenergic crises have been treated with the sympatholytic agent clonidine or with benzodiazepines, which can cause excessive sedation and respiratory depression. Dexmedetomidine is a centrally-acting α 2-adrenergic agonist with greater selectivity and shorter half-life than clonidine. We evaluated the preliminary effectiveness and safety of intravenous dexmedetomidine in the treatment of refractory adrenergic crisis in patients with FD. Retrospective chart review of patients with genetically confirmed FD who received intravenous dexmedetomidine for refractory adrenergic crises. The primary outcome was preliminary effectiveness of dexmedetomidine defined as change in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) 1 h after the initiation of dexmedetomidine. Secondary outcomes included incidence of adverse events related to dexmedetomidine, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and hemodynamic parameters 12 h after dexmedetomidine cessation. Nine patients over 14 admissions were included in the final analysis. At 1 h after the initiation of dexmedetomidine, systolic BP decreased from 160 ± 7 to 122 ± 7 mmHg (p = 0.0005), diastolic BP decreased from 103 ± 6 to 65 ± 8 (p = 0.0003), and HR decreased from 112 ± 4 to 100 ± 5 bpm (p = 0.0047). The median total adverse events during dexmedetomidine infusion was 1 per admission. Median hospital length of stay was 9 days [interquartile range (IQR) 3–11 days] and median ICU length of stay was 7 days (IQR 3–11 days). Intravenous dexmedetomidine is safe in patients with FD and appears to be effective to treat refractory adrenergic crisis. Dexmedetomidine may be considered in FD patients who do not respond to conventional clonidine and benzodiazepine pharmacotherapy.
Investigator bias and the PACE trial.

The PACE investigators reject Geraghty’s suggestion that the cognitive behavior therapy/graded exercise therapy trial could have been better left to researchers with no stake in the theories under study. The potential sources and standards for determining researcher bias are considered, concluding that the PACE investigators “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”
Choosing Face-to-face or Video-based Instruction in a Mobile App Development Course

The face-to-face interaction in a traditional classroom on campus provides many benefits to students: the ability to ask questions and get immediate feedback, external motivation from the instructor and peers to succeed, the joy of interaction, and the ability to work face-to-face with classmates on projects. Meanwhile, video-based, online instruction offers several different benefits: convenience for students due to flexibility in time and place of learning, ease of reviewing materials for mastery, and the ability to work at one's own pace. When given the choice between these two formats, which do students choose? Students enrolled in an upper-level mobile app development course could opt to attend class with face-to-face instruction, to watch videos of the instructor, or to switch between the two formats as they saw fit. Students were given pre- and post-surveys asking them which format they preferred and why. Results indicate that slightly more than half of the students chose the video-based option and that students chose as they did for expected reasons, such as wanting to ask questions in class or wanting the flexibility to watch and re-watch video on demand. More interestingly, results also indicated that students who chose video did not suffer from the dropout and failure rates so commonly reported in the literature, that learning was equally effective using both formats, and that students' expectations of which format they would use were quite different from what they ended up using. However, with a small sample size at one institution, local factors, like scheduling the course during lunchtime, also played a role in students' choices.
A geospatial analysis of land use and stormwater management on fecal coliform contamination in North Carolina streams

Although non-point source (NPS) pathogen pollution is a leading cause of stream impairment in the United States, the sources of NPS pollution are often difficult to ascertain. While previous studies have employed land use regression methods to develop a greater understanding of the sources and dynamics of microbial NPS pollution, little work has explicitly considered the effects of local, state, and federal stormwater management policies on water quality across multiple watersheds or at larger spatial scales. How do land use and stormwater management efforts collectively influence fecal coliform (FC) levels at a regional or multiple-watershed scale? We construct a unique spatial regression model of stream FC pollution (n=327 monitoring stations) throughout the state of North Carolina (USA), incorporating both land cover and urban development variables. We then use a subset of our data (nbmp=80 monitoring stations) to incorporate local stormwater control measures and stormwater management policies. Results demonstrate that the inclusion of policy and management variables improves the explanatory capacity for FC levels (R2=0.4412 versus R2=0.5323). Locally, this model can be used to better target stream restoration and water quality mitigation actions and investments, as well as help to predict FC levels at unmonitored locations throughout North Carolina's stream network. More generally, the novel structure of this model can also help examine the large-scale effects of stormwater regulations on surface water pathogen levels, helping researchers and planners better predict water quality in the absence of extensive monitoring station data.
A targeted delivery strategy for the development of potent trypanocides

A new drug delivery strategy was investigated for the development of potent anti-parasitic compounds against Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. Thus, potent in vitro hexokinase inhibitors were rendered cytotoxic by appending a tripeptide peroxosomal targeting sequence that facilitated delivery of the molecular cargo to the appropriate organelle in the parasite.
Relationship of cardiac troponin to systolic global longitudinal strain in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND A high proportion of stable hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients have elevated serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), but its clinical and echocardiographic determinants are unknown. Our objective was to determine the prevalence and clinical predictors of positive troponin (cTnI+) in a well-defined population of HCM patients using a highly sensitive assay. METHODS We retrospectively interrogated medical records of 167 stable HCM patients from 1/2011 to 3/2014. cTnI >0.04 ng/mL was considered positive. RESULTS Thirty-four percent were troponin-positive (median cTnI was 0.1 [0.07, 0.2] ng/dL). cTnI as a continuous variable correlated positively with maximal left ventricular wall thickness (LVT), maximal interventricular septal thickness, and global longitudinal strain (GLS) (P<.001). Unadjusted OR (95% CI) for positive troponin was 0.5 (0.3-0.9, P=.05) for obstructive HCM, 3.2 (1.7-5.9, P<.0001) for increased LVT, 0.3 (0.2-0.6, P<.0001) for -5% increase in GLS, 0.2 (0.04-0.9, P=.04) for moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation, and 1.9 (0.9-3.9, P=.06) for implantable cardioverter defibrillator history. After adjusting for these variables, only maximum LVT (OR 2.5 [95% CI: 1.1-5.7, P=.02]) and GLS (OR 0.3 [95% CI: 0.2-0.6, P=.001]) were independent predictors. The percentage of patients with a positive cTnI increased from 19% to 24% and 57% across tertiles of LVT (P=.003) and decreased from 54% to 33% and 14% across tertiles of GLS (P<.0001). CONCLUSION In this cohort of HCM patients, the association of reduced GLS and positive troponin was independent of LVT. Further studies are warranted to evaluate whether their combination adds prognostic value in identifying high-risk patients to define effective and early intervention strategies.
Hafnium nitride films for thermoreflectance transducers at high temperatures: Potential based on heating from laser absorption

Time domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) and frequency domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) are common pump-probe techniques that are used to measure the thermal properties of materials. At elevated temperatures, transducers used in these techniques can become limited by melting or other phase transitions. In this work, time domain thermoreflectance is used to determine the viability of HfN thin film transducers grown on SiO2 through measurements of the SiO2 thermal conductivity up to approximately 1000 K. Further, the reliability of HfN as a transducer is determined by measuring the thermal conductivities of MgO, Al2O3, and diamond at room temperature. The thermoreflectance coefficient of HfN was found to be 1.4 × 10−4 K−1 at 800 nm, one of the highest thermoreflectance coefficients measured at this standard TDTR probe wavelength. Additionally, the high absorption of HfN at 400 nm is shown to enable reliable laser heating to elevate the sample temperature during a measurement, relative to other transducers.
Systematics of the Properties of the Lanthanides

The influence of electronic configurations upon the stability of various crystal structures of the lanthanides and actinides and upon their melting and boiling points is examined. A unified model that is applicable to lanthanides, actinides, and all of the transistion metals, is presented that provides predictions of the thermodynamic properties, magnetism, and a variety of properties. Methods of calculation of phase diagrams are discussed. Spectroscopic and thermodynamic data for the elemental lanthanides are tabulated to provide the base for binary system predictions. Thermodynamic data are tabulated for the solid and gaseous lanthanide oxides.
The Splicing of Transposable Elements: Evolution of a Nuclear Defense Against Genomic Invaders?

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the splicing of transposable elements. Transposable elements are not only the persistent components of organismal genomes, but they also appear capable of moving between species via horizontal transfer events. Drosophila melanogaster P elements provide a classic example of the lateral movement between species of a transposable element. The dynamics of element spread in natural populations thus, reflects the balance between the fitness of the transposable element and the possible negative impact the element may have toward the new host organism. Transposable elements, which have been resident in a genome over a protracted period of evolutionary time, are likely to co-evolve with their host genomes to prevent a serious disruption of host gene activity that could lead to an excessive reduction in host fitness. Horizontal transfer events place transposable elements in new genomic environments where host controls on the activity of these specific invading elements are inefficient or absent.
Effects of teaching concept mapping using practice, feedback, and relational framing

Abstract Although concept mapping remains widely used in education, there is little research showing how best to teach it. We investigated if practice, feedback, and knowledge of relational framing help improve students' concept mapping skills over time. Four online graduate courses at two universities were randomly assigned to one of two teaching conditions: a traditional concept map teaching strategy or traditional plus relational framing teaching strategy. Students in each course created three concept maps over three weeks following repeated instruction and instructor feedback. Repeated practice and feedback improved the structural quality of students' concept maps, as well as the number of autobiographical elaborations within those maps. Teaching strategy moderated the effect of practice and feedback on the relational quality of students' maps. Relational scores in relational framing groups improved over time, whereas those in the traditional groups remained unchanged. Implications for teaching concept mapping are discussed.
Probing the Electron-Phonon Interaction in Correlated Electron Systems

One of the long-standing questions in cuprate physics concerns the role that the electron-phonon interaction plays across the phase diagram.
Update in Pediatric Oncology: Section B—Solid Tumors of Childhood

The care of pediatric patients with solid tumors is complex given the tissues and organs affected by disease, the multidisciplinary nature to clinical decision-making, treatment toxicities, and the complex medical and psychosocial care required during and in the aftermath of treatment. Therapeutic regimens are selected on the basis of patient risk-stratification, which for many tumors is tailored to account for disease histology, extent of spread, and in some cases molecular profile. Treatment considerations focus on the primary tumor (i.e. local control) as well as metastatic or microscopic circulating disease (i.e. systemic therapy). Local control can consist of surgery, radiotherapy, or a combination of the two. “Neoadjuvant” treatment is the term given to systemic agents administered prior to surgery with the term “adjuvant” assigned to treatment given post-operatively. Over the last decade, goals of therapy have evolved to maintain excellent outcomes for patients with low-risk disease, while reducing overall therapy, minimizing toxicity, and improving outcomes for patients with high-risk disease through treatment intensification. In the era of personalized medicine and genomic tumor profiling, our understanding of the molecular drivers of disease as well as targeted approaches to therapy continues to improve. The goals of this chapter are to focus on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, presenting symptoms, work-up, and standard treatment for the most common extracranial solid tumors (focusing predominantly on the North American, Children’s Oncology Group approach) while highlighting recent advances in therapy and overall outcomes.
Outcomes after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in obese versus nonobese patients.

Abstract Objective Obesity is a worldwide epidemic, particularly in Western society. It predisposes surgical patients to an increased risk of adverse outcomes. The aim of our study was to use a nationally representative vascular database and to compare in-hospital outcomes in obese vs nonobese patients undergoing elective open aortic repair (OAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods All patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair were identified in the Vascular Quality Initiative database (2003-2017). Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Univariable (Student t-test and χ2 test) and multivariable (logistic regression) analyses were implemented to compare in-hospital mortality and any major complications (wound infection, renal failure, and cardiopulmonary failure) in obese vs nonobese patients. Results We identified a total of 33,082 patients undergoing elective OAR (nonobese, n = 4605 [72.4%]; obese, n = 1754 [27.6%]) and EVAR (nonobese, n = 18,338 [68.6%]; obese, n = 8385 [31.4%]). Obese patients undergoing OAR and EVAR were relatively younger compared with nonobese patients (mean age [standard deviation], 67.55 [8.26] years vs 70.27 [8.30] years and 71.06 [8.22] years vs 74.55 [8.55] years), respectively; (both P Conclusions Using a large nationally representative database, we demonstrated an increased risk of renal failure and wound infections in obese patients undergoing OAR compared with nonobese patients. On the other hand, obesity did not seem to increase the odds of major adverse outcomes in patients undergoing EVAR. Further long-term prospective studies are needed to verify the effects of obesity after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and the implications of these findings in clinical decision-making.
Transdermal Delivery of Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Alzheimer’s disease is a major health problem of the world’s aging population. Few treatment options are currently available, but an intense research effort has focused on several strategies, including stimulation of the damaged cholinergic system by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
His Lips Are Moving: Pinocchio Effect and Other Lexical Indicators of Political Deceptions.

Using the software program LIWC (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count), this study used political statements classified as truths and lies by website Politifact.com and examined lexical differences between statement type (lie or truth) and the setting (interactive or scripted) in which the statement was given. In interactive settings (where statements given are prompted by questioning), politicians used shorter sentences, simpler words, and fewer causation statements than statements given in scripted settings (where statements are prepared in advance). Lying politicians used more words and negation statements than truth-tellers in both interactive and scripted settings. In interactive settings, politicians used more first-person pronouns. There were no main effects of deception on use of first- and third-person pronouns. Further, there are no effects of deception on use of negative emotion words or profanity. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of setting for studying lexical differences in dece...
A stochastic switch with different phases.

We describe an analog stochastic switch that exhibits three distinct phases as its parameters change. The phases are classified by the mean and variance of the switch’s output. A phase change appears if the mean or the variance tends to a finite value or to infinity. The switch can be embedded in a large gene regulatory network for which the moment equations naturally close at the second order. This switch was used to model the response of a heat-shock system.We describe an analog stochastic switch that exhibits three distinct phases as its parameters change. The phases are classified by the mean and variance of the switch’s output. A phase change appears if the mean or the variance tends to a finite value or to infinity. The switch can be embedded in a large gene regulatory network for which the moment equations naturally close at the second order. This switch was used to model the response of a heat-shock system.
Modeling Data Driven Interactions on Property Graph

Data Driven Transformation is a process where an organization transforms its infrastructure, strategies, operational methods, technologies, or organizational culture to facilitate and encourage data driven decision-making behaviors. We defined a data driven network as group/groups of people in an organization network working on common projects where making data driven decisions is necessary in the project. One important problem in data driven transformation is how to understand data driven behaviors in the network. Ability to model and compute on a DDIG is crucial for understanding data driven network behaviors. To this end, we modeled a data driven network as a property graph, in which nodes represent users, projects, or data sources and edges represent interactions between them. We termed this Data Driven Interactions Graph and modeled on the Neo4j graph platform. A graph model framework to represent data driven interactions such that a number of network properties can be computed from the proposed graph is introduced. Finally, we discussed data utilization and data collaboration behaviors of the social working network.
Cultural disparities in end-of-life choices and advanced care planning in cancer patients.

3Background: Integration of palliative care early in treatment of malignancy improves quality of life and curbs non-beneficial end of life care. However, there are differences in utilization of pal...
Impact of Acuity Circles on Outcomes for Pediatric Liver Transplant Candidates.

BACKGROUND In December 2018, United Network for Organ Sharing approved an allocation scheme based on recipients' geographic distance from a deceased donor (acuity circles [ACs]). Previous analyses suggested that ACs would reduce waitlist mortality overall, but their impact on pediatric subgroups was not considered. METHODS We applied Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data from 2011 to 2016 toward the Liver Simulated Allocation Model to compare outcomes by age and illness severity for the United Network for Organ Sharing-approved AC and the existing donor service area-/region-based allocation schemes. Means from each allocation scheme were compared using matched-pairs t tests. RESULTS During a 3-year period, AC allocation is projected to decrease waitlist deaths in infants (39 versus 55; P < 0.001), children (32 versus 50; P < 0.001), and teenagers (15 versus 25; P < 0.001). AC allocation would increase the number of transplants in infants (707 versus 560; P < 0.001), children (677 versus 547; P < 0.001), and teenagers (404 versus 248; P < 0.001). AC allocation led to decreased median pediatric end-stage liver disease/model for end-stage liver disease at transplant for infants (29 versus 30; P = 0.01), children (26 versus 29; P < 0.001), and teenagers (26 versus 31; P < 0.001). Additionally, AC allocation would lead to fewer transplants in status 1B in children (97 versus 103; P = 0.006) but not infants or teenagers. With AC allocation, 77% of pediatric donor organs would be allocated to pediatric candidates, compared to only 46% in donor service area-/region-based allocation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AC allocation will likely address disparities for pediatric liver transplant candidates and recipients by increasing transplants and decreasing waitlist mortality. It is more consistent with federally mandated requirements for organ allocation.
Ethics and epistemic hopelessness

This paper investigates the ethics of regarding others as epistemically hopeless. To regard a person as epistemically hopeless with respect to p is, roughly, to regard her as unable to see the trut...
Charge conductivity in donor–acceptor polymer dispersions measured with time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy

Abstract Ultrafast Time-Domain and Time-Resolved Terahertz (TDS/TRTS) spectroscopic methods are utilized to explore photoconductive properties of five conjugated donor–acceptor co-polymers (PCDTPT, CDTBTZ, IDTBT, PBDTTPD and N2200) dispersed in room temperature toluene, a nonpolar dielectric solvent. TRTS provides an effective non-contact handle to interrogate localized relative conductivity of dispersed co-polymers. Conductivity dynamics are contrasted among disparate polymer structures and between their photoconductive peak and thermalized time-delayed signatures. Photoconductivity kinetics, relative levels of real/imaginary conductivity, and carrier properties are summarized with higher energy photoexcitation increasing the real photoconductivity by up to three-fold. Molecular orbital pictures and donor–acceptor twisting mode frequencies ascertained through ab initio calculations (via Density Functional Theory) support descriptions of the relative efficacies of charge transfer from the perspective of the localized THz method.
Effect of vitamin D and/or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on stroke outcomes: A randomized trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Among stroke patients, low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D predicts poor outcomes. In mice, higher omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid intake diminishes brain damage after stroke. In this study, we tested whether vitamin D or n-3 fatty acids supplementation prior to stroke reduces the risk of functional limitations and physical disability after stroke. METHODS We used data from VITAL (the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL) which randomized middle-aged and older men and women without cardiovascular disease to vitamin D3 (2000 IU/day) and/or marine n-3 fatty acids (1 g/day) and followed them for incident stroke events. Individuals experiencing a non-fatal stroke were mailed questionnaires assessing functional limitations (the physical performance scale adapted from Nagi) and physical disability (the modified Katz Activities of Daily Living and Rosow-Breslau Functional Health scales). We used logistic regression to analyze associations between randomized treatment and limitations on each scale. RESULTS A total of 290 individuals experienced their first stroke during the trial, of whom 197 stroke survivors completed the stroke outcomes questionnaire a median of 1.4 years after diagnosis. We observed no associations between randomized treatment to vitamin D and functional limitations (odds ratio [OR] 1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52, 1.97) or physical disability (Rosow-Breslau scale: OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.50, 1.67; Katz scale: OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.31, 3.42). Those randomized to n-3 fatty acids had a non-significantly lower risk of functional limitations (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.28, 1.09) and physical disability (Rosow-Breslau scale: OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.31, 1.02; Katz sclae: OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.50, 1.67). CONCLUSION Vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acid supplementation prior to stroke did not result in significantly improved post-stroke outcomes.
Principles of Basic Life Support

In this chapter, you will understand the scope of practice and role of a BLS provider. You will learn how to recognize a cardiac arrest, perform high-quality CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator.
Criticism and the Non-I, or, Rachel Cusk’s Sentences

This chapter proposes a new way of thinking about the relationship between narrative and the question of literature’s historicity. First, it reconsiders the concept of the subject as it was variously deconstructed, banished, or radically redrawn in the moment of 1960s French structuralist anti-humanism. Second, it assesses free indirect style for its ability to produce narrative voices beyond the confines of the subject/object dichotomy. Finally, the chapter turns to the path-breaking sentences of the contemporary British novelist Rachel Cusk, who, it is argued, has constructed an immanent, unique theory-in-action of the literary subject, premised on a qualified evacuation of narrative-subjective interiority.
Managing Recurrent Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treatment is often associated with high morbidity especially in the recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) setting, limiting effective treatment options. Local disease control is important. Therefore, local therapies including reirradiation and salvage surgery, either alone or in combination with systemic treatment, may be used for selected patients with R/M HNSCC. Although chemotherapy and targeted agents have modest efficacy in HNSCC, the advent of immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment paradigm of R/M HNSCC. Multiple trials have resulted in the past 5 years advocating for its use alone or in combination with chemotherapy.
Efficient cocured scarf repair of composite structures through rheology modeling

To address the need for increased efficiency and high-quality in-field repair of composite structures, a vacuum bag only (VBO) semi-preg was produced, modeled, and evaluated against a conventional ...
GABAergic neurons in barrel cortex show strong, whisker-dependent metabolic activation during normal behavior

Electrophysiological data from the rodent whisker/barrel cortex indicate that GABAergic, presumed inhibitory, neurons respond more vigorously to stimulation than glutamatergic, presumed excitatory, cells. However, these data represent very small neuronal samples in restrained, anesthetized, or narcotized animals or in cortical slices. Histochemical data from primate visual cortex, stained for the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome oxidase (CO) and for GABA, show that GABAergic neurons are more highly reactive for CO than glutamatergic cells, indicating that inhibitory neurons are chronically more active than excitatory neurons but leaving doubt about the short-term stimulus dependence of this activation. Taken together, these results suggest that highly active inhibitory neurons powerfully influence relatively inactive excitatory cells but do not demonstrate directly the relative activities of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cortex during normal behavior. We used a novel double-labeling technique to approach the issue of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activation during behavior. Our technique combines high-resolution 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), immunohistochemical staining for neurotransmitter-specific antibodies, and automated image analysis to collect the data. We find that putative inhibitory neurons in barrel cortex of behaving animals are, on average, much more heavily 2DG-labeled than presumed excitatory cells, a pattern not seen in animals anesthetized at the time of 2DG injection. This metabolic activation is dependent specifically on sensory inputs from the whiskers, because acute trimming of most whiskers greatly reduces 2DG labeling in both cell classes in columns corresponding to trimmed whiskers. Our results provide confirmation of the active GABAergic cell hypothesis suggested by CO and single-unit data. We conclude that strong activation of inhibitory cortical neurons must confer selective advantages that compensate for its inherent energy inefficiency.
Tensor Decomposition With Generalized Lasso Penalties

ABSTRACTWe present an approach for penalized tensor decomposition (PTD) that estimates smoothly varying latent factors in multiway data. This generalizes existing work on sparse tensor decomposition and penalized matrix decompositions, in a manner parallel to the generalized lasso for regression and smoothing problems. Our approach presents many nontrivial challenges at the intersection of modeling and computation, which are studied in detail. An efficient coordinate-wise optimization algorithm for PTD is presented, and its convergence properties are characterized. The method is applied both to simulated data and real data on flu hospitalizations in Texas and motion-capture data from video cameras. These results show that our penalized tensor decomposition can offer major improvements on existing methods for analyzing multiway data that exhibit smooth spatial or temporal features.
Methanogenesis from methanol and methylamines and acetogenesis from hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the sediments of a eutrophic lake.

14C-tracer techniques were used to examine the metabolism of methanol and methylamines and acetogenesis from hydrogen and carbon dioxide in sediments from the profundal and littoral zones of eutrophic Wintergreen Lake, Michigan. Methanogens were primarily responsible for the metabolism of methanol, monomethylamine, and trimethylamine and maintained the pool size of these substrates below 10 μM in both sediment types. Methanol and methylamines were the precursors for less than 5 and 1%, respectively, of the total methane produced. Methanol and methylamines continued to be metabolized to methane when the sulfate concentration in the sediment was increased to 20 mM. Less than 2% of the total acetate production was derived from carbon dioxide reduction. Hydrogen consumption by hydrogen-oxidizing acetogens was 5% or less of the total hydrogen uptake by acetogens and methanogens. These results, in conjunction with previous studies, emphasize that acetate and hydrogen are the major methane precursors and that methanogens are the predominant hydrogen consumers in the sediments of this eutrophic lake.
Predicate detection using event streams in ubiquitous environments

Advances in clock synchronization techniques for sensor networks as well as wireless ad-hoc networks allow an approximated global time for an increasing number of configurations in ubiquitous and pervasive computing environments. This paper presents an event stream based on-line algorithm that fuses the data reported from the heterogenous processors in the network to detect predicates of interest. The algorithm detects properties that can be specified using predicates under a rich palette of time modalities. The algorithm has low space, time, and message complexities. The main idea used to design the algorithm is that the predicate is decomposed as a collection of predicates between pairs of system devices. The algorithm leverages the pairwise interaction between processes so as to incur a low overhead and hence be highly scalable.
Automated Corporate Cockpits: Some Observations

Automated airline cockpit systems are very helpful at times, but they can induce errors and other problems when change is required by the operational demands. If this holds in the constrained airline operating environment, it would appear that corporate aviation — with its demand for extreme flexibility — would magnify these problems. This study is the first attempt to examine the pilot-automation interaction in the corporate aviation environment. Survey data from 430 corporate pilots and observations from over 60 actual corporate missions are discussed.
Export performance of developing countries under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act: Experience from US trade with Sub‐Saharan Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the implications of US trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and its impact on beneficiary country exports.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to use Wilcoxon signed rank test and time series regression analysis using ARIMA.Findings – The results largely indicate that AGOA has a positive but not significant effect on beneficiary exports to the USA for all country groups. Its effect is also quite marginal on sectoral exports except for textiles and apparel. Similarly, AGOA's effect is positive but not significant for all major exporters except Lesotho.Originality/value – A proper understanding of this relationship will help donors and recipients devise appropriate policies to help encourage the growth and diversification of exports that is so vital for developing countries.
Ductility Prediction for Complex Magnesium Alloy Castings Using Quality Mapping

In this work, quality mapping (QM) approach was developed to predict the ductility for complex magnesium high pressure die castings. Carefully controlled casting experiments were conducted under 8 different casting conditions and the mechanical properties were experimentally determined at different locations in complex magnesium casting. Each processing condition was simulated using the MAGMAsoft and the simulation results were determined from each location. QM was established to predict the mean ductility and statistic variation in AM60 Magnesium casting.
Purification and Properties of Two Growth Stage-dependent Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerases from Lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract Two distinct deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activities have been purified from extracts of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Fraction I may be prepared from log phase and stationary phase cells. Fraction II appears initially in late log phase and increases to a maximum of 45% of the total DNA polymerase activity found in extracts of stationary phase cells. Fraction I and Fraction II have been purified approximately 1000-fold and 350-fold, respectively. Sedimentation coefficients of the two enzymes were 5.2 ± 0.1 S (78,000 molecular weight) for Fraction I and 5.8 ± 0.1 S (92,000 molecular weight) for Fraction II. Although the pH optima and magnesium titration curves for the two fractions were similar, several significant differences in their catalytic behavior were observed. Fraction I used either native or denatured primer-template DNA from L. acidophilus with equal efficiency. The addition of spermidine caused a 4-fold stimulation in activity of Fraction I assayed on denatured DNA. Fraction II showed a preference for native DNA in the absence of spermidine and used native or denatured DNA equally well with spermidine present. Fraction I was much less sensitive to inactivation by parahydroxymercuribenzoate than Fraction II, and the two fractions had dissimilar manganese titration curves. Thermal inactivation curves at 45° provided further evidence that the two fractions were different, and similar studies with mixed extracts suggested that the two polymerases may interact with each other.
The Eta Invariant of Pin Manifolds with Cyclic Fundamental Groups

Let l= 2ν > 1. Let M be an orientable manifold of odd dimension m with \(\pi _1 (M) = \mathbb{Z}_\ell \) whose universal cover \(\tilde M\) is spin. We define a fixed point free action of \(\mathbb{Z}_{2\ell } \) on the product \(\tilde M \times \tilde M{\text{ and let }}N: = \tilde M \times \tilde M/\mathbb{Z}_{2\ell } ;{\text{ }}N\left( M \right)\) is non orientable and admits a natural pin- structure. We express the eta invariant of N(M) in terms of the eta invariant of M and show the map M → N(M) extends to a map of suitably chosen equivariant connective K-theory groups. Let X be a non orientable manifold with \(\pi _1 (X) = \mathbb{Z}_{2\ell } \) of even dimension m ≥ 6 whose universal cover is spin. We show that if X admits a metric of positive scalar curvature, then the moduli space of all metrics of positive scalar curvature on X has an infinite number of arc components. If m \n= 2 mod 4 and if w2(X) = 0, we show X admits a metric of positive scalar curvature if and only if the \(\hat A\) genus of the universal cover \(\tilde X\) vanishes; this establishes the Gromov-Lawson conjecture in this special case.