cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retinal glial responses to optic nerve crush are attenuated in Bax-deficient mice and modulated by purinergic signaling pathways

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) soma death is a consequence of optic nerve damage, including in optic neuropathies like glaucoma. The activation of the innate immune network in the retina after nerve damage has been linked to RGC pathology. Since the eye is immune privileged, innate immune functions are the responsibility of the glia, specifically the microglia, astrocytes, and Muller cells that populate the retina. Glial activation, leading to the production of inflammatory cytokines, is a hallmark feature of retinal injury resulting from optic nerve damage and purported to elicit secondary degeneration of RGC somas. A mouse model of optic nerve crush (ONC) was used to study retinal glial activation responses. RGC apoptosis was blocked using Bax-deficient mice. Glial activation responses were monitored by quantitative PCR and immunofluorescent labeling in retinal sections of activation markers. ATP signaling pathways were interrogated using P2X receptor agonists and antagonists and Pannexin 1 (Panx1)-deficient mice with RGC-specific deletion. ONC induced activation of both macroglia and microglia in the retina, and both these responses were dramatically muted if RGC death was blocked by deletion of the Bax gene. Macroglial, but not microglial, activation was modulated by purinergic receptor activation. Release of ATP after optic nerve damage was not mediated by PANX1 channels in RGCs. RGC death in response to ONC plays a principal stimulatory role in the retinal glial activation response.
How Different Buying Center Members Influence Different Purchasing Phases

This research examined both the composition of the buying center and the variation in the relative influence of those members throughout purchase phases. The results indicated that variation in relative influence of several buying center members was significantly related to the purchase phase. The results have important implications for the development of effective marketing strategies.
Peripheral artery disease screening and cardiovascular disease risk assessment with the ankle-brachial index in adults.

J.P. is a 40-year-old man with a 15 pack-year smoking history. His father has type 2 diabetes mellitus. J.P.'s vital signs, weight, and lipid levels are within normal limits. At his office visit, he brings an advertisement for a health fair with information on screening for peripheral artery disease (PAD) with the ankle-brachial index (ABI), and asks if he should be screened.
Predisposing factors in occupational skin diseases.

Work-related skin disorders do not appear randomly; they are the result of factors in the environment and the host. These factors can be isolated and recognized, and awareness of these factors by employers and affected employees should have a significant impact on work-related skin disease. The role of a dermatologist in providing this information is essential.
Philosophical Consolation in Christianity and Islam: Boethius and al-Kindi

Interrogeant la faculte de consolation de la philosophie, l'A. compare la «Consolation de la philosophie» de Boece et l'«Art de dissiper les chagrins» d'al-Kindi, qui s'inscrivent tous les deux dans la tradition de l'hellenisme et portent l'heritage du neoplatonisme. L'A. etudie l'exemple de la tristesse comme resultat de l'opinion fausse, d'une part, et examine la conception de la liberte de l'homme comme controle des passions, d'autre part.
A Reversal of Misfortune

This case discusses a pharmacodynamic interaction between glycopyrrolate and acetylcholine. Neostigmine, when given before or out of proportion to glycopyrrolate can cause bradyarrhythmia and sinus arrest.
Clifford and Spacetime Algebras

Though we are interested primarily in Spacetime algebra (STA), it is instructive to consider it within the general framework of Clifford algebras. This chapter is a concise exposition of selected subjects from an extensive theory of Clifford algebras.
Hybrid model predictive control of multi-compressor vapor compression systems

Increasing thermal loads in air vehicles has recently driven a need for more efficient cooling mechanisms and novel control techniques. As such, multi-compressor vapor compression systems are being considered for next generation aircraft to help mitigate the effects of large magnitude and highly transient thermal loads. The inclusion of these systems coupled with the transient environment in which they operate leads to the need for advanced control techniques to select operational modes and handle continuous actuation. This work develops a switched linear model framework that is used in a hybrid model predictive controller to determine the operational mode of the system, and continuous actuator set points. While this approach is applicable to a wide range of systems, a sample aircraft simulation study shows the advantage of the predictive controller over current logic-based control strategies.
On efficient hierarchical storage for big data processing

A promising trend in storage management for big data frameworks, such as Hadoop and Spark, is the emergence of heterogeneous and hybrid storage systems that employ different types of storage devices, e.g. SSDs, RAMDisks, etc., alongside traditional HDDs. However, scheduling data accesses or requests to an appropriate storage device is non-trivial and depends on several factors such as data locality, device performance, and application compute and storage resources utilization. To this end, we present Dux, an application-attuned dynamic data management system for data processing frameworks, which aims to improve overall application I/O throughput by efficiently using SSDs only for workloads that are expected to benefit from them rather than the extant approach of storing a fraction of the overall workloads in SSDs. The novelty of Dux lies in profiling application performance on SSDs and HDDs, analyzing the resulting I/O behavior, and considering the available SSDs at runtime to dynamically place data in an appropriate storage tier. Evaluation of Dux with trace-driven simulations using synthetic Facebook workloads shows that even when using 5.5× fewer SSDs compared to a SSD-only solution, Dux incurs only a small (5%) performance overhead, and thus offers an affordable and efficient storage tier management.
The Relationship between Social Support and Diet Quality in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States

Abstract Background Social support has been associated with physical and mental health; however, the relationship between social support and diet quality is not well understood. Objective The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between social support and overall diet quality among US adults. Design/participants This study was a secondary analysis of data from adults aged 40 years and older who participated in the cross-sectional 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N=3,243). Main outcome measures Social support was determined by a modification of the Rees Social Support Index (SSI), which is the sum of five dichotomized variables addressing emotional support, financial support, marital status, close friends, and religious service attendance. Overall diet quality was measured by the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and calculated from the mean of two 24-hour dietary recalls. Statistical analyses performed SAS survey procedures were used to incorporate the appropriate sample design weights. Unweighted frequencies are reported along with weighted means and standard errors (SE). Multivariable linear regression was used to compare the total HEI-2010 scores among the six SSI groups with additional models controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, income level, and education level, and stratifying by sex. Results In an unadjusted model, the mean total HEI-2010 score for those with an SSI score of 0 (n=37) was 50.0 (SE=2.83) compared to 57.1 (SE=0.89) for those with SSI score of 5 (n=676) ( P P =0.14). However, when stratified by sex and adjusted for other demographics, higher SSI scores were associated with higher HEI-2010 scores compared to lower SSI scores in men ( P =0.02), but there was no significant difference among SSI scores and HEI-2010 scores in women ( P =0.43). Conclusions This study suggests a positive relationship between social support and overall diet quality among middle-aged and older men, but not women, in the United States.
Equivalence of symptom dimensions in females and males with autism

This study investigated equivalence of autism symptom domains in males and females with autism. Symptom data were obtained from 2643 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (352 females, 2291 males; age range = 4-17 years) included in the Simons Simplex Collection. Items from the Social Responsiveness Scale and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised were mapped to nine a priori symptom dimensions. Multi-group confirmatory factor models, including measurement equivalence and item response theory analyses, examined whether males and females showed measurement or structural differences in autism symptom constructs. Results indicated mean differences in restricted interests that were not due to measurement bias. No other symptom dimension showed evidence of measurement bias and autism symptom structure was highly similar between males and females. Future studies are needed to carefully estimate any sex differences in the content, frequency, or intensity/severity of restricted interests in females and males.
MINDFULNESS GOES TO SCHOOL: THINGS LEARNED (SO FAR) FROM RESEARCH AND REAL‐WORLD EXPERIENCES

Mindfulness-based curricula are being implemented in K-12 schools across the nation. Many of these programs, although well-considered and implemented, have little or no research support for their effectiveness. Recognizing the paucity of published research in this area, a sampling of school-based programs currently being implemented in the schools is reviewed. The programs reviewed are Inner Explorer, Master Mind and Moment Program, Mindfulness and Mind-Body Skills for Children, Mindful Schools, Resilient Kids, Still Quiet Place, Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Curriculum and Mindful Moment, and Wellness and Resilience Program. We offer a summary of research support for each program and discussion of unpublished, mostly qualitative indicators of feasibility, acceptability, efficacy, and effectiveness. Strengths and limitations of each program are described, along with suggestions for bolstering informative and useful research. We encourage researchers, educators, and mindfulness practitioners to work collaboratively to conduct rigorous program evaluations.
Reserve, Resilience and Recovery in Stroke: A Meta-Narrative Review (P3.199)

Introduction: Predicting variations in clinical outcomes in patients with stroke continues to be challenging and inaccurate. Psychiatry, geriatrics, and oncology have adopted more comprehensive approaches to predict outcomes that account for functional/physiological reserve, cognitive reserve, and resilience. The purpose of this meta-narrative review is to understand the applicability of these emerging paradigms for determining outcome after stroke. Methods: Constructs related to reserve, resilience and recovery were identified from those well described in fields other than stroke. For each construct Google Scholar and Scopus were searched including original research, reviews, abstracts, editorials in English to make the review as inclusive as possible, time span chosen was “any time”. Results: [1] Functional/physiological reserve is the ability of different organ systems to “bounce back” from injury. Comorbidities, sex and age have been well studied as markers of functional reserve in stroke. Frailty has been well studied in cancer (N=384 papers) and heart failure (N=980 papers), but has not been well studied in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) (N=8) and no papers in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and one in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). [2] Impact of Cognitive reserve on neurological outcome is well-validated in dementia (N >1000 papers), and multiple sclerosis (N=205 papers), but has been understudied in stroke (N=83). [3] Resilience is the capacity of individuals to maintain, or regain their mental health in face of significant adversity, including physical illness, and focuses on positive adaptation. Resilience an important factor in predicting outcomes in depression (N >1000) and cancer in adults and pediatrics (n>1000), has received minimal attention as a predictive factor for stroke outcomes; AIS (N=1), ICH (N=0) and SAH (N=0). Conclusion: There is an urgent need to individualize outcomes in stroke systematically by implementing well validated concepts from various related fields to improve patient centered decision-making in acute stroke care. Disclosure: Dr. Dangayach has nothing to disclose. Dr. Grewal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gordon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mayer has received research support from Non-Invasive Medical Systems, Inc. and General Electric.
The road to new materials

For decades solid-state physicists and chemists have been controlling the electronic and magnetic properties of materials by swapping one type of atom for another. A classical example of this simple concept is phosphorous-doped silicon – by replacing a small number of host silicon atoms with phosphorous, we can change the material from an insulator into a metal. The difference in the valence of phosphorous and silicon provides the free electrons needed for metal-like behaviour.
Methods for high resolution programming in lithuim niobate memristors for neuromorphic hardware

Memristor crossbars are capable of implementing learning algorithms in a much more energy and area efficient manner compared to traditional systems. However, the programmable nature of memristor crossbars must first be explored on a smaller scale to see which memristor device structures are most suitable for applications in reconfigurable computing. In this paper, we demonstrate the programmability of memristor devices with filamentary switching based on LiNbOx, a new resistive switching oxide. We have performed several characterization experiments that demonstrate the high resolution programmability of these devices. Once the optimal programming voltages and conductivity ranges for these memristor devices are determined, a method is presented to determine how many unique states can be achieved in these devices. Parameters obtained from this analysis can greatly strengthen memristor device models that implement realistic stochastic switching behavior. We show that 11 unique states can be stored in this device with 95% confidence, but many more states are achievable using feedback write techniques or in-situ learning. Therefore, we have determined that Lithium Niobate memristors are strong candidates for use in neuromorphic computing.
Long-Term Stability of Back-Arc Basin Hydrothermal Vents

Since the discovery of hydrothermal vents 40-years ago, long-term time-series have focused on mid-ocean ridge systems. Based on these studies, hydrothermal vents are widely considered to be dynamic, ephemeral habitats. Under this premise, national and international regulatory bodies are currently planning for the commercial mining of polymetallic sulfide deposits from hydrothermal vents. However, here we provide evidence of longevity and habitat stability that does not align with historic generalizations. Over a 10-year time-series focused on the back-arc basin systems off the west coast of the Kingdom of Tonga (South Pacific), we find the hydrothermal vents are remarkably stable habitats. Using high-resolution photo mosaics and spatially explicit in situ measurements to document natural changes of five hydrothermal vent edifices, we discovered striking stability in the vent structures themselves, as well as in the composition and coverage of the vent-associated species, with some evidence of microdistribution permanence. These findings challenge the way we think about hydrothermal vent ecosystems and their vulnerability and resilience to deep-sea mining activities.
Clinical and Molecular Recursive Partitioning Analysis of High-grade Glioma Treated With IMRT.

Introduction:Despite multimodal treatment for high-grade gliomas, prognosis remains grim. Prior Radiation Therapy Oncology Group-Recursive Partitioning Analysis (RTOG-RPA) reports indicate based on pretreatment and treatment-related factors, a subset of patients experience a significantly improved s
The Foundation of Science

To address the question “What is the foundation of science?” I base my response on the two substantive constructs of the question: science and foundation.
Alternatives to Conventional Toxicology Testing

The need for developing alternatives for animal testing for assessing chemical risk has come from ethical considerations, legislation, and recognition that alternative methods can offer better science. Historically, testing on animals was the only method for assessing chemical risk, but now more precise methods are being developed because of the tremendous advances made in the understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity. Currently, models using tissue culture methods for measuring cell death in clonal cell lines, and in skin-equivalent models, have been accepted by regulators. The inherent need in toxicology to predict dose is being met with models for assessing transport and metabolism. More complex responses, such as those exhibited by the immune and nervous systems, pose even greater challenges. To meet these challenges, computer models that simulate cellular interactions will likely be needed in addition to cell culture models. Indeed, an understanding of systems biology coordinated with valid alternative methods has the potential to characterize chemical toxicity: identifying molecular targets; analyzing the effect on downstream pathways; modeling the metabolic response; and predicting the whole-organism response. In summary, tools are now available that have the potential to more accurately assess chemical risk using a humane and efficient approach. The concept of alternative models in toxicity testing had been based on the principle of the 3Rs – replacement, refinement, and reduction – that were described by Russell and Burch (1959). Refinement refers to improving animal welfare by minimizing actual or potential pain and distress throughout the life span of the animal, or using animals lower on the phylogenetic scale. Replacement refers to avoiding or replacing animals in methods where animals have been traditionally used, generally this includes in vitro models, and in silico models based, in part, on information from genomic and proteomic databases. Reduction refers to the most effective experimental design, in other words the right number of animals for the statistical power required and the correct species for the question being asked. As we will discuss in this chapter, alternative methods will have beneficial roles beyond the 3Rs. High-throughput methods and models based on human tissue will enable both industry and government to screen large numbers of chemicals and obtain results that more comprehensively and accurately predict human responsiveness. There are many considerations when developing tests including their scientific basis and predictive capacities, which are important during method development. Additionally, validation criteria must be considered. This chapter will focus on the science of replacement alternatives.
Current Sharing Between Insulated Strands in a Superconducting Cable

Several superconducting magnet projects involve the use of high-current conductors that are exposed to rapidly varying magnet fields. To reduce ac losses, conductors are proposed that will consist of a multiplicity of transposed small strands, insulated from each other. The behavior of such a conductor is quite different from the behavior of a conductor that is soldered or even coated with a resistive film, such as copper oxide, since fully insulated strands do not necessarily carry the same current.
Innovación social: una realidad emergente en los procesos de desarrollo

Technological innovation in econo‑ mic entities has been widely studied. However, social innovation is a emer‑ ging phenomenon of concern. Market paradigms (price, cost, quality ...) are not immediately transferable in order to investigate this type of innovation that happens in society. Social innovation develops in a particular way, it has specific origins, it has its own facilitating and catalysing factors, and finally, it comes up against specific barriers. In the same way that advanced society is concerned about RD&i as an element for competence at economic levels and reinforces the innovation system with all the elements involved, the same level of concern does not exist to generate a system to strengthen the social inno‑ vation needed to mitigate the problems suffered by the most needy groups: the so–called “base of the pyramid”. Could we conceive of the creation of “centres for social innovation”? Which would be the office for transferring social research at university level? The same as with patents, which indicators for social innovation resulting from research –references with university prestige– would be the ones to use to measure advances in this field?
Diagnosing Well and Treating Prudently: Randomized Clinical Trials and the Problem of Knowing Truly

All human knowledge is tentative and provisional, and medical knowledge is no exception. Explanations of diseases and disease processes are tied to patho-anatomical, physiological, and microbiological theories that change with time. So too, the best of standard care is open to revision as better knowledge comes to hand. Medicine is, as all other human endeavors, bound to the history and culture of its setting. Moreover, since the nature of the world is in part opaque to, or at least recalcitrant before the inquiries of human reason, explanations of medical problems and attempts to remedy them are always less than ideal. In fact, the limitations of human knowledge destine medical interventions to being not only less than fully efficacious, but also to bringing risks of morbidity and mortality that might better have been avoided.
Friday, September 28, 2018 8:00 AM–9:00 AM interdisciplinary spine forum: abstract presentations: 145. The impact of postoperative physical therapy on patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing spine surgery

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Physical therapy (PT) is commonly used after lumbar spine surgery, without strong evidence for its effectiveness. Randomized controlled trials outside the United States have found no significant difference between PT and educational controls. Additional research is needed to understand the benefit of PT for postoperative management in order to justify its continued use for patients following spine surgery. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the association between attending outpatient PT during the postoperative period and patient-reported outcomes at 1 year following lumbar spine surgery. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data from a longitudinal spine registry. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 782 participants undergoing a lumbar laminectomy with or without fusion for a degenerative lumbar condition. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcomes for this study were disability (Oswestry Disability Index: ODI), quality of life (EQ-5D), and back pain (11-point Numeric Rating Scale: NRS). METHODS Participants were enrolled into a spine registry prior to surgery and completed a preoperative assessment. Follow-up assessments occurred at 3 months and 1 year after surgery. A categorical variable to describe PT over the 1 year period was created (No PT, PT 0–3 months, PT 0–3 and 3–12 months, PT 3–12 months). Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effect of PT group on outcomes over time (3 months and 1 year). All analyses controlled for baseline outcome scores, age, gender, smoking status, insurance type, body mass index, presence of neurogenic claudication, surgery type, number of levels, ASA grade, and preoperative depression and narcotic use. Significance was set at p RESULTS Over the 1-year period, 238 patients had no PT (31%), 285 had PT from 0 to 3 months only (36%), 197 had PT from 0 to 3 and 3 to 12 months (25%), and 62 had PT from 3 to 12 months only (8%). The mixed-effects models found a significant relationship between PT and all patient-reported outcomes, with patients in the PT 0-3 months only group having ODI scores 3.5-points higher, EQ-5D scores 0.03-points lower, and back pain scores 0.35-points higher than the No PT group (p CONCLUSIONS This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected registry data found that patients utilizing PT after lumbar spine surgery had worse postoperative outcomes at 1-year in terms of higher disability and pain and lower quality of life, after controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics. Traditional postoperative PT may not be the most effective rehabilitation approach after spine surgery. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that psychologically informed rehabilitation may be more appropriate due to the high levels of depression, anxiety and fear of movement found in this surgical patient population.
Proportion of Cancer Cases Attributable to Excess Body Weight by US State, 2011-2015

Importance Excess body weight (EBW) is an established cause of cancer. Despite variations in the prevalence of EBW among US states, there is little information on the EBW-related cancer burden by state; this information would be useful for setting priorities for cancer-control initiatives. Objective To calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of incident cancer cases attributable to EBW among adults 30 years or older in 2011 to 2015 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Design, Setting, and Participants State-level, self-reported body mass index (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were adjusted by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and education using objectively measured BMI values from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Age- and sex-specific cancer incidence data by state were obtained from the US Cancer Statistics database. All analyses were performed between February 15, 2018, and July 17, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Sex-, age-, and state-specific adjusted prevalence estimates for 4 high BMI categories and corresponding relative risks from large-scale pooled analyses or meta-analyses were used to compute the PAFs for each US state for esophageal adenocarcinoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the gastric cardia, colorectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, female breast, corpus uteri, ovary, kidney and renal pelvis, and thyroid. Results Each year, an estimated 37 670 cancer cases in men (4.7% of all cancer cases excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers) and 74 690 cancer cases in women (9.6%) 30 years or older in the United States were attributable to EBW from 2011 to 2015. In both men and women, there was at least a 1.5-fold difference in the proportions of cancers attributable to EBW between states with the highest and lowest PAFs. Among men, the PAF ranged from 3.9% (95% CI, 3.6%-4.3%) in Montana to 6.0% (95% CI, 5.6%-6.4%) in Texas. The PAF for women was approximately twice as high as for men, ranging from 7.1% (95% CI, 6.7%-7.6%) in Hawaii to 11.4% (95% CI, 10.7%-12.2%) in the District of Columbia. The largest PAFs were found mostly in southern and midwestern states, as well as Alaska and the District of Columbia. Conclusions and Relevance The proportion of cancers attributable to EBW varies among states, but EBW accounts for at least 1 in 17 of all incident cancers in each state. Broad implementation of known community- and individual-level interventions is needed to reduce access to and marketing of unhealthy foods (eg, through a tax on sugary drinks) and to promote and increase access to healthy foods and physical activity, as well as preventive care.
Gate Quantum Capacitance Effects in Nanoscale Transistors

As the physical dimensions of a transistor gate continue to shrink to a few atoms, performance can be increasingly determined by the limited electronic density of states (DOS) in the gate and the gate quantum capacitance (CQ). We demonstrate the impact of gate CQ and the dimensionality of the gate electrode on the performance of nanoscale transistors through analytical electrostatics modeling. For low-dimensional gates, the gate charge can limit the channel charge, and the transfer characteristics of the device become dependent on the gate DOS. We experimentally observe for the first time, room-temperature gate quantization features in the transfer characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT)-gated ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) channel transistors; features which can be attributed to the Van Hove singularities in the one-dimensional DOS of the CNT gate. In addition to being an important aspect of future transistor design, potential applications of this phenomenon include multilevel transistors with suitable transfer characteristics obtained via engineered gate DOS.
Simultaneous space-based observations of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes and lightning optical emissions: Investigation of the terrestrial gamma-ray flash production mechanisms

The relative timing between terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) and lightning optical emissions is a critical parameter that may elucidate the production mechanism(s) of TGFs. In this work, we study the correlation between optical emissions detected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper and TGFs triggered by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. The correlation result suggests that TGFs are produced during the last stage of lightning leader channel development. Accordingly, TGFs are initiated by lightning leaders perhaps augmented by additional electron acceleration and multiplication by the ambient large-scale electric field in thunderclouds.
The association of peer behavioral regulation with motor-cognitive readiness skills in preschool

Abstract An increasing number of young children nationally participate in preschool education, yet very little is known about the influence of peers' behavioral regulation, such as maintaining focus on a task in the face of distractions and inhibiting a dominant response (attentionimpulse control), and remembering instructions (engagement) on children's motor-cognitive readiness skills (i.e., peer effects). This study determined whether peer effects are present in this earliest sector of schooling. Research has shown that a child's own behavioral regulation is associated with his or her academic outcomes. However, not much is known about how children are affected by classmates with poor behavioural regulation. This study begins to fill the gaps in our understanding of preschool peer effects in the form of peers' behavioral regulation relative to children's motor-cognitive readiness skills. It addresses two research questions: (1) Is the average level and amount of variation of peers' behavioral regulation skills (i.e., engagement and attentionimpulse control) in a classroom associated with growth in children's motor-cognitive readiness outcomes in preschool (motor, content knowledge, and language)? (2) Do these associations differ for children with high and low initial levels of behavioral regulation? The analytic sample is drawn from a cluster (school) randomized controlled trial testing a family-centered, school-based intervention (N=1050 children in 99 classrooms drawn from 10 high-poverty schools). Results indicated that classroom-level peer engagement skills made a unique contribution to children's growth of motor skills during the preschool academic year. Furthermore, children with higher engagement skills at the beginning of the preschool year had higher motor-cognitive readiness skills (motor, content knowledge, and language) at the end of the year when they were in classrooms with peers with high engagement skills. This study extends previous work with older children and indicates that after adjusting for an assortment of demographic, preschool program-related factors, and motor-cognitive readiness at entry into preschool, peers' engagement skills may make a unique contribution to children’s motor-cognitive readiness skills during the preschool academic year.
Effect of dietary zinc source and method of oral administration on performance and tissue trace mineral concentration of broiler chicks.

Two experiments were conducted with chicks to examine the effect of high dietary levels of soluble sources of Zn on tissue Zn, Cu, and Fe concentrations as influenced by two methods of oral Zn administration from 14 to 21 d of age. Treatments included the basal diet (62 ppm Zn), basal diet supplemented with 1,000 ppm Zn from Zn sulfate, acetate, or chloride fed continuously, or basal diet plus crop intubation with a single oral dose of water (control) or 1,000 ppm Zn dietary equivalent from the sources based on feed intake from the previous day. In Exp. 2, crop-intubated doses were administered daily from 14 to 21 d of age. In Exp. 1, chicks given Zn by gavage decreased (P < .0001) feed intake at 24 h after oral dose compared with chicks fed either the control or high-Zn diets. After the gavage dosing stopped, feed intake was similar among treatments. Bone Zn was increased (P < .0001) by Zn source and was greater at 24 than at 168 h after dosing by gavage. In chicks given a single gavage dose of Zn, liver and kidney Zn measured at 24 h after oral dosing was greater (P < .0001) than at 168 h. In birds given a single oral dose of Zn, time x Zn source interactions were observed in pancreas (P < .0001), mucosal cells (P < .01), and remaining intestinal tract segments (P < .001). In Exp. 2, greater bone, pancreas, kidney (P < .0001), and liver (P < .001) Zn accumulations were observed in chicks given daily gavage doses of Zn compared with those fed Zn in diets. Zinc from the four sources was absorbed and stored in tissues to a similar extent.
Single-Dose Triple-Drug Therapy for Wuchereria bancrofti — 5-Year Follow-up

Single-dose therapy for Wuchereria bancrofti Five years after treatment with a single dose of ivermectin plus diethylcarbamazine plus albendazole for bancroftian filariasis as part of a clinical tr...
Problems and reflection on the screening and diagnosis for disease of newborn

Newborn screening plays an important role in the 3-tiered system of prevention and control for birth defects in China. With the rapid development of newborn screening and diagnosis, quality control system including internal quality control and external quality assessment should be optimized and improved, and attention should be paid to pre-experimental quality control and management of positive patients as well.Widespread application of tandem mass spectrometry in newborn screening and diagnosis for inherited metabolic diseases greatly enhanced the detection capability and efficiency.The rapid development of molecular diagnosis techniques will confront new challenges and troubles.(Chin J Lab Med, 2015, 38: 217-219) Key words: Neonatal screening; Quality control; Metabolism, inborn errors; Tandem mass spectrometry
Librarian Fascination and Student Confusion with “RE” words: Research, Reference, Resources, and Reserves

Student confusion regarding the use of library jargon on websites, during instruction sessions, and in conversation is nothing new; however, four commonly used terms have recently lost context both inside and outside of the library setting. Coincidently, all four words begin with “RE”: research, reference, resources, and reserves. By asking our students what they believe these “RE” words mean, we were able to get a clearer indication of their perceptions and specific information needs. We believe that finding a common linguistic foundation with limited library jargon reduces barriers and promotes student comprehension and satisfaction.
Anticoagulation in Patients with Aortic Stenosis and Atrial Fibrillation

There is a rising prevalence of patients with coexisting valvular heart disease (VHD) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Anti-coagulating these patients is often a clinical challenge, as they pose a gre...
Food Insecurity in the Caregivers of Hospitalized Pediatric Patients

Purpose: In 2016, an estimated 12.3% of national households reported food insecurity (inconsistent access to adequate food for all household members due to lack of resources). Household food insecurity (FI) is associated with poorer health outcomes and increased hospital admissions. However, there is limited data regarding inpatient FI rates for caregivers during pediatric hospitalizations. This study aims to identify prevalence of inpatient FI and associated risk factors among caregivers of hospitalized children. Methods: This was observational survey data from an ongoing prospective cohort …
GIC-Inclusive State Estimator for Power System Awareness During Geomagnetic Disturbance Events

Geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) threaten the secure and reliable operation of the electric power grid. During a GMD, geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) cause additional reactive power losses and a lowered voltage profile. Preventing and mitigating a widespread system collapse in such an occurrence requires accurate knowledge of the current system state. This is provided by power system state estimation, but as traditional methods do not account for GIC-related monitoring and modeling, they may fail to provide accurate results during a GMD. Therefore, in this work excess reactive power losses are explicitly modeled in the state estimation method and GIC-related values are included among the states and measurements. The modeling scheme is thoroughly discussed and estimation results on a 20 bus and 150 bus case validate the estimation accuracy improvement provided by a GIC-inclusive modified state estimator during a GMD.
The Cartel of Good Intentions: The Problem Bureaucracy in Foreign Aid

A group of well-meaning national and international bureaucracies dispensed foreign aid under conditions in which bureaucracy does not work well. The environment that created aid bureaucracies led those organizations to (a)define their output as money disbursed rather than service delivered, (b)produce many low-return observable outputs like glossy reports and frameworks and few high-return less observable activities like ex-post evaluation, (c) engage in obfuscation, spin control, and amnesia (like always describing aid efforts as new and improved) so that there is little learning from the past, (d) put enormous demands on scarce administrative skills in poor countries. To change this unhappy equilibrium, policymakers in rich and poor countries should experiment with decentralized markets to match those who want to help the poor with the poor themselves freely expressing their needs and aspirations.
Clinical predictors and impact of postoperative mean gradient on outcome after transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair.

Background The predictors and clinical significance of increased Doppler-derived mean diastolic gradient (MG) following transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (MVTEER) remain controversial. Objective We sought to examine baseline correlates of Doppler-derived increased MG post-MVTEER and its impact on intermediate-term outcomes. Methods Patients undergoing MVTEER were analyzed retrospectively. Post-MVTEER increased MG was defined as >5 mmHg or aborted clip implantation due to increased MG intraprocedurally. Baseline MG and 3D-guided mitral valve area (MVA) by planimetry were retrospectively available in 233 and 109 patients. Results 243 patients were included; 62 (26%) had MG > 5 mmHg post-MVTEER or aborted clip insertion, including 7 (11%) that had aborted clip implantation. Mortality occurred in 63 (26%) during a median follow up of 516 days (IQR 211, 1021). Increased post-MVTEER MG occurred more frequently in females (44% vs. 16%, p Conclusions Smaller baseline MVA and increased baseline MG are associated with increased MG post-MVTEER and patients with a Doppler-derived post-MVTEER MG >5 mmHg suffered excess subsequent mortality. In high risk patients considered for MVTEER, identification of those at risk of iatrogenic mitral stenosis with MVTEER is important as they may be optimally treated with alternate surgical or transcatheter therapies.
Static magnetic field measurements of smart phones and watches and applicability to triggering magnet modes in implantable pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Background Implantable pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are designed to include a "magnet mode" feature that can be activated from magnets stronger than 10 G. This feature is designed to be used when a patient is undergoing a procedure where electromagnetic interference is possible, or anytime suspension of tachycardia detection and therapy is needed. A publication in Heart Rhythm demonstrates an iPhone 12 triggering the magnet mode of a Medtronic ICD. Objective The purpose of this study is to determine the separation distance between consumer electronic devices that may create magnetic interference, including cell phones and smart watches, and implantable pacemakers and ICDs where magnet mode can be triggered. Methods The static magnetic fields of the iPhone 12 models and Apple Watch were measured at several planes in 1 cm resolution using an FW Bell 5180 Gauss Meter with STD18-0404 Transverse probe (unidirectional probe). Results All iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6 models tested have static magnetic fields significantly greater than 10 G in close proximity (1–11 mm), which attenuates to below 10 G between 11 and 20 mm. Conclusion The findings of this study support the US Food and Drug Administration recommendation that patients keep any consumer electronic devices that may create magnetic interference, including cell phones and smart watches, at least 6 inches away from implanted medical devices, in particular pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators.
The Direct and Indirect Effects of a Global Pandemic on US Fishers and Seafood Workers (preprint)

The United States' seafood industry experienced major shifts in consumer demand and COVID-19 social-distancing restrictions starting in March 2020, when the early stages of the pandemic were unfolding. However, the specific effects on workers across seafood value chains are less well known. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), fishers and seafood workers face an increased risk of workplace exposure to COVID-19 given the close proximity to others in processing facilities and on fishing vessels, long work hours, and communal housing, living, and transportation arrangements associated with seasonal employment. To explore this hypothesis, and given a lack of data on the sector, we reviewed news articles, scientific articles, and white papers to identify the various effects of COVID-19 on US seafood workers and to track COVID-19 cases and outbreaks. Here, we show that most COVID-19 cases among seafood workers were reported during the summer of 2020 and during the beginning of 2021 with outbreaks primarily occurring in seafood processing. COVID-19 cases were documented throughout coastal areas, with Alaska experiencing the largest number of cases and outbreaks. Based on news reports, seafood workers were about twice as likely to contract COVID-19 as workers in other parts of the overall US food system. By examining news articles and scientific literature, we also documented a number of indirect effects of the pandemic. Social-distancing restrictions limited crew size and number of workers on processing lines, resulting in longer work hours and more physical and mental taxation. Economic consequences of the pandemic were reportedly a primary concern for fishers and aquaculture businesses, including changes in markets, supply and demand, in addition to revenue loss, price fluctuations, supply chain issues, and labor shortages. Fewer outlets interviewed workers in seafood processing;however, concerns about workplace safety, contracting COVID-19, access to medical services, vaccination, and paid sick leave were all noted. We also highlight a number of inequities in COVID-19 responses within the seafood sector, both along racial and gender lines. Peer-reviewed studies and news coverage all point to diverse direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers across seafood value chains. The summary of these effects can serve as a foundation for future work on infection control and occupational outreach to workers in the seafood sector.
Performance characterization of VNIR and SWIR spectropolarimetric imagers

Two compact prototype spectropolarimetric imagers operating in the visible-near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) regions were developed. Each of these imagers uses a noncollinear acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) and collects data with four linear incident polarizations—vertical, horizontal and ±45°. The spectral region of operation for the first imager is from 450 to 800 nm and the second one from 1000 to 1600 nm. These imagers are field-portable and before field test were characterized for their performance in collecting hyperspectral and full linear polarization signatures. Image cubes of scenes with natural objects were collected and analyzed. Here, we present imaging and spectral analysis results for these imagers.
1 – Linear Circuit Analysis

This chapter is devoted to linear circuit analysis. There are two important laws based on the physical properties of electric charges, and these laws form the foundation of circuit analysis. They are Kirchhoff's current law (KVL) and Kirchhoff's voltage law (KCL). While Kirchhoff's current law is based on the principle of conservation of electric charge, Kirchhoff's voltage law is based on the principle of energy conservation. Analysis of an electrical circuit involves the determination of voltages and currents in various elements, given the element values and their interconnections. In addition, in a linear circuit, the v-I relations of the circuit elements and the equations generated by the application of KCL at the nodes and of KVL for the loops generate a sufficient number of simultaneous linear equations that can be solved for unknown voltages and currents. There are various steps involved in the analysis of linear circuits that are briefly discussed in the chapter.
A Call to Higher Things

AbstractSeeking a responsible middle ground between complaisance and the “religious totalitarianism” of Sayyid Qutb, Miroslav Volf proposes a proper role for religion as a faithful advisor in the public square and an inspired one in the corridors of conscience. But he seems to lose patience with that theme without addressing John Rawls’ case for silencing religious counsels—or engaging the strident atheism of Dennett, Dawkins, Hitchens, or Grayling, and he takes Qutb more as a foil than an adversary to be grappled with directly. Turning away from debates over religion’s proper public role he catalogues the “malfunctions” of faith, sidestepping many of today’s more burning issues in favor of a generic call to “lives of integrity”—while acknowledging that we mortals are “powerless against the lure of evil,” too often seconded by “the power of the systems that surround us.” Prayer, Volf argues, finds its best use when we ask to be made “willing, capable, and effective instruments in God’s hand.” One only wis...
The 2009 New York Accountancy Law’s Paradoxical Impact on Faculty: Non-CPAs versus Inactive CPAs

This essay was borne out of the personal experience of one of the authors (Fischer), who was an inactive CPA in Maryland for many years and had just accepted a position as an accounting professor at a New York-based college. Upon accepting the offer, Fischer was told that he must not only reactivate his Maryland license, but must also transfer it to New York State. In researching the law, we found that New York indeed requires professors to hold an active NY CPA license if they were previously licensed in any state. On the other hand, individuals who have never been licensed may continue to teach without a license.