cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disparities in infectious disease hospitalizations for American Indian/Alaska native people

Objectives. We described disparities in infectious disease (ID) hospitalizations for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. Methods. We analyzed hospitalizations with an ID listed as the first discharge diagnosis in 1998–2006 for AI/AN people from the Indian Health Service National Patient Information Reporting System and compared them with records for the general U.S. population from the Nationwide Inpatient Survey. Results. The ID hospitalization rate for AI/AN people declined during the study period. The 2004–2006 mean annual age-adjusted ID hospitalization rate for AI/AN people (1,708 per 100,000 populiation) was slightly higher than that for the U.S. population (1,610 per 100,000 population). The rate for AI/AN people was highest in the Southwest (2,314 per 100,000 population), Alaska (2,063 per 100,000 population), and Northern Plains West (1,957 per 100,000 population) regions, and among infants (9,315 per 100,000 population). ID hospitalizations accounted for approximately 22% of all AI/AN hospitalizations. Lower-respiratory- tract infections accounted for the largest proportion of ID hospitalizations among AI/AN people (35%) followed by skin and soft tissue infections (19%), and infections of the kidney, urinary tract, and bladder (11%). Conclusions. Although the ID hospitalization rate for AI/AN people has declined, it remains higher than that for the U.S. general population, and is highest in the Southwest, Northern Plains West, and Alaska regions. Lowerrespiratory-tract infections; skin and soft tissue infections; and kidney, urinary tract, and bladder infections contributed most to these health disparities. Future prevention strategies should focus on high-risk regions and age groups, along with illnesses contributing to health disparities.
RARE spiral T2-weighted imaging

Spiral imaging has a number of advantages for fast imaging, including an efficient use of gradient hardware. However, inhomogeneity -induced blurring is proportional to the data acquisition duration. In this paper, we combine spiral data acquisition with a RARE echo train. This allows a long data acquisition interval per excitation, while limiting the effects of inhomogeneity. Long spiral k-space trajectories are partitioned into smaller, annular ring trajectories. Each of these annular rings is acquired during echoes of a RARE echo train. The RARE refocusing RF pulses periodically refocus off-resonant spins while building a long data acquisition. We describe both T2-weighted single excitation and interleaved RARE spiral sequences. A typical sequence acquires a complete data set in three excitations (32 cm FOV, 192 x 192 matrix). At a TR = 2000 ms, we can average two acquisitions in an easy breath-hold interval. A multifrequency reconstruction algorithm minimizes the effects of any off-resonant spins. Though this algorithm needs a field map, we demonstrate how signal averaging can provide the necessary phase data while increasing SNR. The field map creation causes no scan time penalty and essentially no loss in SNR efficiency. Multiple slice, 14-s breath-hold scans acquired on a conventional gradient system demonstrate the performance.
Achieving sustainability in US fisheries: community engagement in co-management

The United States government is moving toward a co-management model to fishery governance based on stakeholder engagement. As essential stakeholders, the participation of local fishermen and their communities is fundamental for the efficiency and effectiveness of regulations and the sustainability of the nation's fisheries. However, the emphasis on stakeholder engagement is a substantial barrier to local participation. The author situates this barrier in the overriding assumption of US fishery governance, which considers individuals the key local actors in resource management. Nonetheless, existing fishery governance frameworks have produced intriguing alternative policy instruments. One such alternative, Community Development Quotas, may serve as a platform for the empowerment of local communities and, as a result, the encouragement of sustainable fishing and development in coastal areas. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Spatial genetic structure and frequency of interspecific hybridization in Platanthera aquilonis and P. dilatata (Orchidaceae) occurring in sympatry.

Knowledge of genetic structure at different scales is necessary for evaluating the importance of interactions between the genome and environment and for inferring underlying processes that bring about evolutionary diversification. Here, genetic and morphological variation was assessed for 154 individuals of Platanthera aquilonis and P. dilatata in Maine, using RAPD and PCR-RFLP markers and measurements of five morphological traits to determine the prevalence of interspecific hybrids and underlying spatial genetic structure of the population. Both species co-mingled in the population, but clumping was observed. Platanthera aquilonis was more abundant, but genetic variation was lower (polymorphic loci [40%], expected heterozygosity [0.137]) than that of P. dilatata (Pp ¼72%; He ¼0.245). Interspecific hybrids were rare (eight individuals), and morphology was not consistently reliable for determining hybrid status even though the species differed significantly in several traits. Spatial autocorrelation analyses showed significant genetic structure at small distances for both species, most likely due to restricted seed dispersal. Platanthera aquilonis did not exhibit a pattern of spatial genetic structure consistent with other selfing species. This suggests that the species is facultative autogamous, which allows for limited production of hybrid individuals and reduces the strength of spatial genetic structure relative to P. dilatata.
Treatment of subjects with refractory periodontal disease

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy with the adjunct of a selected antibiotic in subjects diagnosed with refractory periodontal disease. 21 subjects were selected for the study; all had a history of periodontal surgery, tetracycline therapy, and regular maintenance by a periodontist. When disease activity was detected, a bacterial sample was taken and a whole plaque susceptibility test was performed. Before the outcome of the susceptibility test the subjects were assigned to either antibiotic or placebo therapy. All subjects received scaling and rootplaning prior to antibiotic or placebo therapy. Based on the susceptibility test, subjects in the antibiotic group were treated either with Augmentin or clindamycin. The results demonstrated that in subjects with refractory periodontal disease there was no significant difference (N.S.) in the proportion of sites losing attachment before and after treatment (11.3% and 12.4%, respectively) over a 2-year post therapy observation period. However, the proportion of sites showing gain of attachment increased from 0.9% before therapy to 5.1% (p = 0.029) following selective antibiotic therapy when combined with scaling and rootplaning. The remainder of sites showed no change between pre- and post-therapy monitoring periods. The progression of attachment loss in the active sites could not be completely stopped over the entire 2-year period. After 12-15 months following therapy, there was a tendency towards new loss of attachment and an increase of pocket depth. However, all 4 subjects treated with placebo drug demonstrated continuous deterioration and had to be retreated. Although the proportion of sites losing attachment decreased from 5.1% to 2.3% (N.S.), the proportion of sites gaining attachment also decreased from 2.0% to 1.0% (N.S.). The results suggest that scaling and rootplaning together with selected antibiotic therapy repeated every 12-15 months may be beneficial for these subjects although it may not completely stop progressive attachment loss.
Laboratory Monitoring of Heparin: Challenges and Opportunities

Heparin, an anticoagulant used for the treatment and prophylaxis of thrombosis, is most commonly monitored using the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Despite its widespread use, the APTT has limitations which stem from the coagulation factors it measures and the technical variability of the
Use of ancrod in acute or progressing ischemic cerebral infarction

Ancrod has been used in Europe for over 15 years for peripheral vascular disease, deep vein thrombosis, and central retinal venous thrombosis, and in patients at risk for thromboembolism. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study at University Hospitals in Cincinnati, 20 acute cerebral infarction patients received a series of IV infusions of ancrod (ten) or placebo (ten) for seven days. Early fibrinolysis with a small decrease in fibrinogen was observed, and d-dimers were elevated at four hours, indicating early clot lysis. At three months, patients with moderate to severe strokes (less than 40 on the Scandinavian Stroke Scale) in the ancrod group showed average improvement by a factor of 3 over the placebo group. No bleeding, abnormal laboratory results, or deaths occurred, but ancrod was discontinued in one patient who had seizures. As a result of this study, a double-blind multicenter international clinical trial to further assess the safety and effectiveness of ancrod is being planned.
SANTONIAN (LATE CRETACEOUS) MAMMALS FROM THE JOHN HENRY MEMBER OF THE STRAIGHT CLIFFS FORMATION, GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT, UTAH

Abstract The first North American mammals of definite Santonian age are described from the John Henry Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument of southern Utah. The fauna includes the oldest documented record of the multituberculates Mesodma (Mesodma sp., cf. M. minor and Mesodma sp.), the Cimolomyidae (?Cimolomys sp.), the tribotheres Potamotelses sp., Picopsis sp., and the marsupial Varalphadon sp. Also present in the fauna is the multituberculate Cimolodon foxi (formerly only known from the Judithian), other cimolodontids (Cimolodon spp., ?Cimolodon sp.), Cedaromys sp., cf. C. hutchisoni, Cedaromys sp., the symmetrodont Spalacotheridium sp., and the marsupials Alphadon sp., cf. A. halleyi, and a stagodontid(?). The fauna has close affinities with the fauna of the Milk River Formation of Alberta, Canada, and may indicate that the Milk River fauna is of latest Santonian age rather than early Campanian.
Density Of States At Mid Gap In Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

The density of states distributions near mid gap in a series of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films have been determined from space charge limited current measurements. The measurements were made on Au/aSi:H Schottky diode structures prepared by reactive rf sputter deposition. Samples with hydrogen concentrations near 16% as determined from infrared absorption had densities of states of 3x1014 states/cm3 eV. The experimental results indicate that high quality aSi:H films with low densities of states can be obtained under certain deposition conditions and that the density of states at mid gap is hydrogen concentration dependent with a minimum near 16%. For a given hydrogen concentration, films thicker than 2 um yielded the lowest density of states consistent with a model in which diffusion currents can be neglected and where surface and interface layers have a higher defect density than the bulk of the film.
Modeling the Influence of Salt on the Hydrophobic Effect and Protein Fold Stability

Salt influences protein stability through electrostatic mechanisms as well as through nonpolar Hofmeister effects. In the present work, a continuum solvation based model is developed to explore the impact of salt on protein stability. This model relies on a traditional Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) term to describe the polar or electro- static effects of salt, and a surface area dependent term containing a salt concentration dependent microscopic surface tension function to capture the non-polar Hofmeister effects. The model is first validated against a series of cold-shock protein variants whose salt-dependent protein fold stability profiles have been previously determined experimentally. The approach is then applied to HIV-1 protease in order to explain an experimentally observed enhancement in stability and activity at high (1M) NaCl con- centration. The inclusion of the salt-dependent non-polar term brings the model into quantitative agreement with experiment, and provides the basis for further studies into the impact of ionic strength on protein structure, function, and evolution.
TARSAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

The diagnosis of tarsal tunnel syndrome can be difficult to make. Clinical findings may be varied and symptoms are commonly vague and diffuse. MR imaging, with its excellent soft tissue contrast and ability to demonstrate musculotendinous and neurovascular structures, clearly demonstrates the anatomy of the tarsal tunnel and its contents and the presence and extent of lesions causing this syndrome.
Combustion simulations of the fuels for advanced combustion engines in a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

Numerical simulations of combustion have been performed for a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine operating on multi-component reference diesel fuels. Two surrogate representation method...
Determination of the pesticides 2,4-d, 2-naphthoxy- acetic acid, and silvex by low temperature phosphorimetry

Simple, direct, and sensitive low temperature phosphorimetric methods for the determination of 2,4-D, 2-naphthoxyacetic acid, and Silvex in EPA solvent are described. The minimum detectable amounts are 0.1 p. p. m. for each pesticide. The ranges of linearity of the analytical calibration graphs are 0.1–40, 0.3-60, and 0.5- 80 p. p. m. for Silvex, 2-naphthoxyacetic acid, and 2,4-D respectively. The procedure for 2,4-D has been applied to the analysis of a solid commercial formulation.
Cancer therapy with Auger electrons: are we almost there?

The biologic toxicity of internally deposited radionuclides can be attributed to radiation-induced ionizations and excitations, nuclear recoil, chemical transmutations, and local charge effects. γ-Photons, x-ray photons, and energetic negatrons and positrons have a range of activity equivalent to
273 ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODY SYNDROME-RELATED DEMYELINATING DISORDER WITH MULTIPLE CRANIAL NEUROPATHIES TREATED WITH RITUXIMAB.

We report the case of a 39-year-old African-American lady diagnosed with a cutaneous vasculitis manifesting as hyperpigmented areas over the lower extremities. She was ANA and ds-DNA positive and was started on immunosuppressive agents, which were discontinued due to side effects. Over the next 2 months, she developed III, IV, VI, VII, and VIII cranial nerve (CN) palsy on the left side. The patient9s MRI showed abnormal T2 lengthening in the pons, midbrain, and medulla without abnormal enhancement, with a differential diagnosis of thiamine deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, multiple sclerosis, and postviral encephalopathy. Her cerebrospinal fluid studies were negative for infections. Her antiphospholipid antibodies and anti-β2-glycoprotein 1 antibodies were strongly positive. She was treated with intravenous thiamine, high-dose corticosteroids with no effect. She was then given rituximab, a CD20 monoclonal antibody, infusions 375 mg/m2 once a week for 4 weeks. The clinical changes involving the IV and VI CN completely resolved in 2 weeks, and there was significant improvement in her III, VII, and VIII CN palsy. The MRI changes resolved completely 2 months after rituximab infusions. Cranial neuropathies occur in 3 to 16% of systemic lupus erythematosus patients and can be due to vascular occlusion, demyelination, vasculitis, or meningitis. There are only two such case reports of multiple cranial nerve involvement secondary to antiphospholipid antibody syndrome-associated demyelination in the foreign language literature and none in English-language journals.
Recurrent nausea as part of the spectrum of abdominal epilepsy.

Gastrointestinal signs and symptoms may occur as the sole manifestation of a simple partial seizure or as the initial manifestation of a complex partial seizure. The focus of these seizures is often in the medial temporal lobe. Over two centuries ago, a medical textbook included a description of a priest whose seizures began with chest pain followed by nausea and vomiting (1). In the absence of impaired consciousness, the epileptic cause of these episodes can be difficult to diagnose and may lead to an exhaustive gastrointestinal investigation. We report the case of a patient with paroxysmal nausea which defied diagnosis until episodes of confusion associated with nausea were observed by his wife.
Assessing Benefits of a Buried Interconnect Layer in Digital Designs

In sub-15 nm technology nodes, local metal layers have witnessed extremely high congestion leading to pin-access-limited designs, and hence affecting the chip area and related performance. In this paper, we assess the benefits of adding a buried interconnect layer below the device layers for the purpose of reducing cell area, improving pin access, and reducing chip area. After adding the buried layer to a projected 7 nm standard cell library, results show $\sim 9$ %–13% chip area reduction and 126% pin access improvement. This shows that buried interconnect, as an integration primitive, is very promising as an alternative method to density scaling.
Laboratory Study of the Effect of Solar Radiation on Cooling Load of Stationary Refrigerated Vehicles: Etude expérimentale de l'influence du rayonnement solaire sur les besoins de froid des véhicules frigorifiques à l'arrêt

On decrit un appareil experimental pour simuler l'influence du rayonnement solaire sur les besoins de froid des camions frigorifiques a l'arret. Des etudes effectuees sur trois camions indiquent que l'elevation maximale des besoins de froid dus au rayonnement solaire sur les vehicules peints en une teinte foncee, a l'arret, variait de 13 a 20% de la valeur a l'etat stable lorsque l'augmentation du pourcentage s'appuyait sur les besoins de froid moyens maximaux pendant 4 heures consecutives.
Impacts of climate change on U.S. building energy use by using downscaled hourly future weather data

Abstract With the growing concern of global climate change in the future, how building energy use pattern would change in response is of great interest and importance in drafting future building performance regulations and codes. In this paper, the outputs from global climate model (GCM) are integrated to typical meteorological year weather file to downscale and predict local hourly weather data in the context of U.S. climate regions using a “morphing” methodology. The “morphed” future hourly weather data is then used by EnergyPlus to predict future energy use pattern for residential building in the United States. Case studies in four representative cities in the U.S. show that climate change is to have great impacts on residential and office building energy use during the year of 2040–2069. The change of annual energy use is predicted to range from −1.64% to 14.07% for residential building and from −3.27% to −0.12% for office building under A2 scenario (a carbon emission scenarios defined by IPCC) in different regions. The research results suggest that the climate change will narrow the gap of energy use for residential buildings located in cold and hot climate regions in the U.S. and generally reduce office building energy use in the future. It is also found that the energy use of lightings and fans will slightly decrease in the future. Moreover, the growing peak electricity load during cooling seasons is going to exert greater pressure for the future grid.
Transfusion Considerations for Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), modified cardiopulmonary bypass, is a life-saving procedure for neonates with reversible cardiorespiratory failure. This complex, invasive therapy requires a skilled multidisciplinary team to achieve optimal results. Ready access to blood products is critical and transfusion services are vital in the care of a patient receiving ECMO. Blood products (red blood cells, platelets, and plasma) are a constant requirement during this form of ongoing massive transfusion in the neonatal patient. Complications, such as hemorrhage and clotting in the circuit, must be monitored through the ECMO course via tests assessing the integrity of the coagulation cascade as well as heparin therapy. Over the decades, intact survival rates continue to improve for neonates.
An Update on Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion in Pulmonary Transplantation

Lung transplantation provides quality of life and survival benefits for patients with end-stage lung disease. However, the demand for donor lungs continues to exceed the supply. Using standard selection criteria, only 20% of lungs from solid organ donors are currently used for lung transplant. Ex vivo lung perfusion may provide a means to evaluate and to potentially rehabilitate marginal donor lungs prior to transplantation. Outcomes after transplantation of marginal lungs evaluated using ex vivo lung perfusion, after initially being declined using standard criteria, have been reported to be equivalent in several studies to outcomes after transplant using standard donor lungs. Ex vivo lung perfusion has also been used successfully in the evaluation of lungs in donation after cardiac death donors, another potential source for increasing the donor pool. This review provides an update on recent experience and results of transplantation after ex vivo lung perfusion, ongoing clinical trials, as well as future directions and ways ex vivo lung perfusion, may increase the availability of donor lungs.
Smoothing-based estimation of an inspector satellite trajectory relative to a passive object

This paper presents a method of obtaining the maximum a posteriori estimate of an inspector satellite's trajectory about an unknown tumbling target while on-orbit. An inspector equipped with radar or a 3D visual sensor (such as LiDAR or stereo cameras), an inertial measurement unit, and a star tracker is used to obtain measurements of range and bearing to the target's centroid, angular velocity, acceleration, and orientation in the inertial frame. A smoothing-based trajectory estimation scheme is presented that makes use of all the input sensor data to estimate the inspector's trajectory. Open-source incremental smoothing and mapping (iSAM2) software is used to implement the smoothing-based trajectory estimation algorithm; this facilitates computationally efficient evaluation of the entire trajectory, which can be performed incrementally, and in real time on a computer capable of processing 3D visual sensor data in real time. The presented algorithm was tested on data obtained in 6 degree-of-freedom microgravity using the SPHERES-VERTIGO robotic test platform on the International Space Station (ISS). In these tests, a SPHERES inspector satellite with attached stereo cameras circumnavigated a passive SPHERES target satellite, making visual observations of it. The results of these tests demonstrate accurate estimation of the inspector satellite's trajectory.
Design of Ruddlesden-Popper Oxides with Optimal Surface Oxygen Exchange Properties for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution

Electrochemical high-temperature oxygen reduction and evolution play an important role in energy conversion and generation using solid oxide electrochemical cells. First-series Ruddlesden–Popper (R-P) oxides (A2BO4) have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for these reactions due to their suitable mixed ionic and electronic conductivities. However, a detailed understanding of the factors that govern their performance is still elusive, making their optimization challenging. In the present work, a systematic theoretical study is used to investigate the underlying factors that control the process of surface oxygen exchange, which governs oxygen reduction and evolution on these oxides. The effects of A- and B-site composition and surface termination of these oxides on their activities are elucidated. Among the different compositions, Co-based, B-site-terminated R-P oxides are predicted to exhibit the highest activity due to providing the best compromise between the energetics associated with oxygen dissocia...
Association of Osteopontin, Neopterin, and Myeloperoxidase With Stroke Risk in Patients With Prior Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attacks: Results of an Analysis of 13 Biomarkers From the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels Trial.

Background and Purpose— Established risk factors do not fully identify patients at risk for recurrent stroke. The SPARCL trial (Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels) evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on stroke risk in patients with a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack and no known coronary heart disease. This analysis explored the relationships between 13 plasma biomarkers assessed at trial enrollment and the occurrence of outcome strokes. Methods— We conducted a case–cohort study of 2176 participants; 562 had outcome strokes and 1614 were selected randomly from those without outcome strokes. Time to stroke was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models. Results— There was no association between time to stroke and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A 2 , monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, resistin, matrix metalloproteinase-9, N-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, or soluble CD40 ligand. In adjusted analyses, osteopontin (hazard ratio per SD change, 1.362; P P =0.0107), myeloperoxidase (hazard ratio, 1.177; P =0.0022), and adiponectin (hazard ratio, 1.207; P =0.0013) were independently associated with outcome strokes. After adjustment for the Stroke Prognostic Instrument-II and treatment, osteopontin, neopterin, and myeloperoxidase remained independently associated with outcome strokes. The addition of these 3 biomarkers to Stroke Prognostic Instrument-II increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve by 0.023 ( P =0.015) and yielded a continuous net reclassification improvement (29.1%; P P Conclusions— Osteopontin, neopterin, and myeloperoxidase were independently associated with the risk of recurrent stroke and improved risk classification when added to a clinical risk algorithm. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00147602.
Vitamin D metabolic loci and vitamin D status in Black and White pregnant women.

Abstract Background Several candidate genes and genome wide association studies have reported significant associations between vitamin D metabolism genes and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Few studies have examined these relationships in pregnancy. Objective We evaluated the relationship between maternal allelic variants in three vitamin D metabolism genes and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration in pregnancy. Study design In two case-control studies, samples were drawn from women who delivered at Magee Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA from 1999 to 2010 and twelve recruiting sites across the United States from 1959 to 65. For 882 Black and 1796 White pregnant women from these studies, 25(OH)D concentration was measured and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped 50 kilobases up- and down-stream in three genes (VDR, GC, and CYP27B1). Using multivariable linear regression, we estimated the associations between allelic variation of each locus and log-transformed 25(OH)D concentration separately by race and study group. Meta-analysis was used to estimate the association across the four groups for each SNP. Results Minor alleles of several variants in VDR, GC, and CYP27B1 were associated with differences in log-transformed 25(OH)D concentration compared to the corresponding major alleles [beta, 95% confidence intervals (CI)]. The meta-analysis confirmed the associations for differences in log-transformed 25(OH)D by allelic loci for one intron VDR variant [rs2853559 0.08 (0.02, 0.13), p Conclusion We observed associations between VDR, GC, and CYP27B1 variants and maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Our results provide additional support for a possible role of genetic variation in vitamin D metabolism genes on vitamin D status during pregnancy.
Portable platform for rapid in-field identification of human fecal pollution in water

Human fecal contamination of water is a public health risk. However, inadequate testing solutions frustrate timely, actionable monitoring. Bacterial culture-based methods are simple but typically cannot distinguish fecal host source. PCR assays can identify host sources but require expertise and infrastructure. To bridge this gap we have developed a field-ready nucleic acid diagnostic platform and rapid sample preparation methods that enable on-site identification of human fecal contamination within 80 min of sampling. Our platform relies on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of human-associated Bacteroides HF183 genetic markers from crude samples. Oligonucleotide strand exchange (OSD) probes reduce false positives by sequence specifically transducing LAMP amplicons into visible fluorescence that can be photographed by unmodified smartphones. Our assay can detect as few as 17 copies/ml of human-associated HF183 targets in sewage-contaminated water without cross-reaction with canine or feline feces. It performs robustly with a variety of environmental water sources and with raw sewage. We have also developed lyophilized assays and inexpensive 3D-printed devices to minimize cost and facilitate field application.
Opioid tolerance and urine drug testing among initiates of extended-release or long-acting opioids in Food and Drug Administration's Sentinel System

Objective: A risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioid analgesics was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012. Our objective was to assess frequency of opioid tolerance and urine drug testing for individuals initiating ER/LA opioid analgesics. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Sentinel, a distributed database with electronic healthcare data on >190 million predominantly commercially insured members. Patients, participants: Members under age 65 initiating ER/LA opioid analgesics between January 2009 and December 2013. Main outcome measure(s): We examined the proportion of opioid-tolerantonly ER/LA opioid analgesic initiates meeting tolerance criteria: receipt of ≥ 30 mg oxycodone equivalents per day in 7 days prior to the first opioid-tolerant-only dispensing. We separately examined the proportion of new users of extended-release oxycodone (ERO) and other ER/LA opioid analgesics with a claim for a urine drug test in the 30 days prior to, and separately for the 183 days after, dispensing. Results: We identified 79,824 ERO, 7,343 extended-release hydromorphone, and 91,778 transdermal fentanyl opioid-tolerant-only episodes. Tolerance criteria were met in 64 percent of ERO, 64 percent of extended-release hydromorphone and 40 percent of transdermal fentanyl episodes. We identified 210,581 incident ERO and 311,660 other ER/LA opioid analgesic episodes. Use of urine drug testing for ERO compared with other ER/LA opioid analgesics was: 4 percent vs 14 percent respectively in the 30 days prior to initiation and 9 percent vs 23 percent respectively in the 183 days following initiation. Conclusions: These results suggest potential areas for improving appropriate ER/LA opioid analgesic prescribing practices.
Abstract 02: American Heart Association (AHA)’s Life’s Simple 7 and Risk of Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Background: Approximately 8.5 million Americans are affected by lower extremity PAD, which is associated with a substantially greater risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, mortality and functional de...
Effect of Vertical or Beveled Chondral Defect Creation on Rim Deformation and Contact.

ObjectiveTo determine biomechanical effects of knee cartilage defect perimeter morphology based on cartilage strain and opposing subchondral bone contact.DesignArticular cartilage defects were crea...
The extent of cigarette brand and company switching: results from the Adult Use-of-Tobacco Survey.

To evaluate the effects of cigarette advertising on brand switching, an accurate estimate of the extent of cigarette brand and company switching among current smokers is needed. Data from the 1986 Adult Use-of-Tobacco Survey were analyzed to estimate the percentage of adult smokers who switched cigarette brands and companies in the previous year. Approximately 9.2% of adult smokers (4.2 million) switched cigarette brands in 1986, and 6.7% (3.1 million) switched cigarette companies. The aggregate profitability of brand switching in 1986 was approximately $362 million. Based on this analysis, brand switching alone justifies only a small percentage of a cigarette company’s advertising and promotion expenditures, suggesting that future research should address other potential effects of advertising, including maintenance of brand loyalty and expanding the cigarette market.
Electrophile-promoted Fe-to-N2 hydride migration in highly reduced Fe(N2)(H) complexes.

One of the emerging challenges associated with developing robust synthetic nitrogen fixation catalysts is the competitive formation of hydride species that can play a role in catalyst deactivation or lead to undesired hydrogen evolution reactivity (HER). It is hence desirable to devise synthetic systems where metal hydrides can migrate directly to coordinated N2 in reductive N–H bond-forming steps, thereby enabling productive incorporation into desired reduced N2-products. Relevant examples of this type of reactivity in synthetic model systems are limited. In this manuscript we describe the migration of an iron hydride (Fe-H) to Nα of a disilylhydrazido(2-) ligand (FeNNR2) derived from N2via double-silylation in a preceding step. This is an uncommon reactivity pattern in general; well-characterized examples of hydride/alkyl migrations to metal heteroatom bonds (e.g., (R)MNR′ → M–N(R)R′) are very rare. Mechanistic data establish the Fe-to-Nα hydride migration to be intramolecular. The resulting disilylhydrazido(1-) intermediate can be isolated by trapping with CNtBu, and the disilylhydrazine product can then be liberated upon treatment with an additional acid equivalent, demonstrating the net incorporation of an Fe-H equivalent into an N-fixed product.
Recent developments in a large inflatable antenna

The Large Inflatable Antenna (LIA) concept represents a game-changing breakthrough towards realizing high-gain antennas using small spacecraft volumes. It makes use of the simplest and lowest energy structure in nature: the sphere. The LIA technology program is a cooperative effort between the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Arizona (UA). The approach represents a cost-effective opportunity to create a scalable technology for a wide variety of applications for looking into deep space as well as Earth remote sensing. This paper addresses: 1) potential applications, 2) orbital parameters and 3) the spherical reflector design and fabrication.
THE WORLD DATA CENTER SYSTEM: PRINCIPLES AND OPERATIONS BASED ON WDC-A EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT The World Data Center system for solar and geophysical data has since the IGY (1957-58) provided a mechanism for voluntary exchange of observations of solar, ionospheric, geomagnetic, seismological, oceanographic, aerono-mical and similar phenomena which vary in time or space. The WDC's (two or three in each discipline) operate at national expense under rules as to data accessibility, availability, and costs to users promulgated by the ICSU Panel on WDC's. The specific data exchange recommendations come from ICSU scientific bodies. The WDC-A (U.S.A.) experience serves to illustrate the operation of the system as regards data flow, interchange among WDC's, and services to users.
Vorbereitung zur extrakorporalen Zirkulation

Normalerweise stellen die Sternotomie, Exposition des Herzens und Kanulierung einfache und routinemasige Schritte einer offenen Herzoperation dar. Bei Zweiteingriffen konnen jedoch erhebliche Schwierigkeiten auftreten. In diesem Kapitel wird unsere Technik der Thorakotomie und Kanulierung bei Erst- und Zweiteingriffen beschrieben.
Diminished D2 dopamine receptor function and the emergence of repetitive jaw movements.

Oral movements in rats, repetitive jaw movements (RJM), can be induced in a dose dependent manner by a specific D1 agonist, SKF 38393, and decreased by D2 receptor stimulation with a specific D2 agonist, LY 141865. Irreversible D1 receptor inactivation by N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline severely reduced oral responses induced by SKF 38393, whereas such blockade of D2 receptors greatly augmented the D1 mediated behavior. Further, we found that chronic prolonged D1 receptor blockade following administration of fluphenazine decanoate facilitated repetitive jaw movements.
What's on Your Radio? Rap Music and Racial Attitudes

The study of rap music assists in the understanding of the development of some political attitudes, thoughts and ideologies among those exposed to rap music. Currently rap has a large audience. With this recognition of the impact that rap has, it is imperative to study the political and racial attitudes that may be asserted through rap as a predictor of a wide range of political attitudes, thoughts and behavior. It has been asserted that Whites exposed to rap are more liberal than Whites who are not exposed to rap (Newsweek 2000). In fact, a Newsweek article “suggests that rap may be a remedy for racial tensions” (Thompson and Brown 2002, 98). These theories were supported by the idea that “Whites may be informed about racial disparities that impede Blacks through rap lyrics, which may lead them to empathize with Blacks” (Thompson and Brown 2002, 99). This paper examines what effect political rap music has on an individual’s political and racial attitudes. This research is significant because it expands the knowledge of what factors shape public opinion and continues the debate about racial attitudes and its impact on political behavior (Dovidio and Gaertner 1986; Bobo and Kluegel 1993; Bobo and Hutchings 1996; Gillens 1996; Hurwitz and Peffley 1998; Kuklinski, Sniderman, Knight, Piazza, Tetlock, Lawrence and Mellers 1997). I assert that those exposed to political rap will be less apprehensive towards minority groups, specifically African Americans. The paper is an experimental research design that exposes participants to five different manipulations in a controlled setting. Subjects listen to songs that have been categorized as political rap, mainstream rap, R&B, pop music and the control group will not listen to any song but instead read an article about technological advances followed by the completion of a questionnaire. Experimental research is necessary because it identifies causal relationships that will help us to understand if exposure to rap has any impact on racial and political attitudes.
Community Primary Care Diabetes Pathway

IN BRIEF "Quality Improvement Success Stories" are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes an initiative to provide more intensive diabetes care and support in a primary care setting and thereby improve patients' glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid control, as well as BMI and psychosocial well-being.
Experimental and Computational Investigation of the Aerobic Oxidation of a Late Transition Metal-Hydride.

The rational development of homogeneous catalytic systems for selective aerobic oxidations of organics has been hampered by the limited available knowledge of how oxygen reacts with important organ...
Die Bürde der Vergangenheit – Verpflichtung für amerikanische Psychiater

Den Berufen wird die Moglichkeit zugestanden, sich selbst Regeln zu geben, weil von ihnen erwartet werden kann, dass sie sich an bestimmte ubergeordnete ethische Prinzipien halten. Auch Arzte sind solchen Prinzipien verpflichtet – in der arztlichen Praxis z. B. dem Gebot, fur die Wohlfahrt des Patienten zu sorgen und Verhaltensweisen zu vermeiden, die die eigene Zuverlassigkeit und Vertrauenswurdigkeit in Zweifel ziehen konnten. Von den Nurnberger Prozessen, die zur Formulierung des Nurnberger Kodex fuhrten, bis hin zur offiziellen Verabschiedung der Universalen Erklarung der Menschenrechte durch die Vereinten Nationen setzte sich mehr und mehr die Ansicht durch, dass Arzte sich gewisser Handlungen zu enthalten haben, wenn sie nicht ihre Hauptfunktion als Heiler verletzen wollen. Eine solche Handlung ist etwa das Verhor von Gefangenen bzw.
Why such a hurry

Over the past decade or so, federal health policy has chased health care costs that grew out of control largely because of federal intervention in the form of the Medicare/Medicaid programs. Having implemented a prospective pricing system for institutional providers, the government has followed up with a resource-based relative value system for physicians. The prognosis for this new effort may be no better than that for past attacks on health care costs, and the outcome could be substantially worse.
Activation of a Novel Proteasomal Independent Bcr/Abl Degradation Pathway by WP1130 Induces Apoptosis in CML Cells.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder of hematopoietic stem cells caused by 9:22 reciprocal chromosomal translocation resulting in expression of a highly stable, constitutively active tyrosine kinase, Bcr/Abl. Inhibition of Bcr/Abl with imatinib mesylate, a potent Abl-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a highly effective therapy for this disease. However, clinical resistance occurs particularly in the later stages of the disease due mainly to the occurrence of point mutations in the Abl kinase domain and continual Bcr/Abl signaling. Alternative and supplemental therapies are still needed and of great clinical interest. Screening a library of small molecular weight compounds for their ability to induce the degradation of critical transcription factors and tyrosine kinases led to the design and synthesis of WP1130, a compound that reduces Jak2 and Bcr/Abl protein stability. Treatment with WP1130 caused the rapid destruction of Bcr/Abl in human CML cell lines (K562, BV173) as well as in clinical CML specimens obtained from patients. This treatment also resulted in dephosphorylation of pSTAT5, pHck and pCrkL, three known targets of Bcr/Abl. Loss of Bcr/Abl protein following WP1130 treatment was similar to that caused by Bcr/Abl silencing (siRNA), and both treatments lead to the induction of apoptosis. Treatment with WP1130 caused rapid degradation of both wild-type and mutant (T315I) Bcr/Abl protein in BaF3 cell expressing these proteins and in a CML cell line expressing wildtype (BV173) and T315I mutant BCR-ABL (BV-173R). Treatment with WP1130 also strongly inhibited colony formation in soft agar of human CML cells from imatinib resistant patients expressing the T315I mutation. The degradation of Bcr/Abl in cells treated with WP1130 was rapid, (1h) and independent of the proteasomal system and HSP90, a chaperone associated with Bcr/Abl stability. Interestingly, WP1130-induced Bcr/Abl degradation was blocked in the presence of vanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. Together, these observations suggest that WP1130-induced Bcr/Abl degradation is mediated by a unique, proteasomal independent pathway in CML cells. Further development of WP1130 is underway with the goal of developing an effective therapy for treating CML by targeting Bcr/Abl protein expressed in early CML progenitors or stem cell populations.
Three essays on strategic trade policy : precommitment, time consistency, and effects of a ratio quota

This dissertation investigates the strategic behavior of firms under imperfect competition in international trade;We utilize the Spencer-Brander multi-stage game in which two firms; one foreign and one domestic, compete as Cournot rivals in a third country. A three-stage game is characterized as: (1) one home government sets subsidies on both export and investment, (2) firms choose the levels of investment, and (3) firms choose output levels. We show that it is not generally optimal to choose investment levels that minimize costs in a Spencer-Brander model. Precommiting both investment and output levels by a home government (as a normal Stackelberg leader) is shown to yield a solution superior to the Spencer-Brander outcome;However, neither of these precommitment models is time consistent because the ex ante subsidy in a precommitment model is larger than that which appears optimal ex post. We show that the time consistent solution can dominate the precommitment solutions, a result that is at odds with the conventional wisdom concerning the inferiority of the time consistent solution. This result emerges because neither precommitment solution is made optimally contingent on foreign investment;We examine the effects of a ratio VER (voluntary export restraints). We claim that under the implementation of a ratio VER, the strategic behavior of firms is most appropriately modeled as simultaneous play, not as Stackelberg leadership for the home firm. Under simultaneous play, we show that (1) there is no equilibrium in pure strategies, and (2) the unique mixed strategy exists with the domestic firm's randomization of its production. In comparing tariffs and quotas, we find that the foreign firm prefers a VER to a tariff system, when the two are chosen such that the home firm's profits under a VER are the same as under a tariff system.
Student Affairs Professionals on Facebook: An Empirical Look.

This study focused on understanding how college student educators use The Student Affairs Professional Facebook group. Through descriptive and qualitative analysis of posts, shares, comments, and i...
Chronic rhinosinusitis in patients with cystic fibrosis-Current management and new treatments.

Objectives The purpose of this article is to provide a state-of-the-art review of the literature and summarize the latest publications on medical and surgical treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), with an emphasis on describing recent advancements in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies. Methods A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing the PubMed database with search phrases detailed within the body of the article. Abstracts were reviewed to include publications detailing medical, surgical, and CFTR modulating therapies for CF CRS. Findings from studies not previously reviewed and publications regarding CFTR modulators were emphasized. Results No clear guidelines for treatment of CF CRS are available. Nasal saline rinses, topical steroids, topical antibiotics, and topical dornase alfa are reported medical therapies. Ivacaftor has some sinonasal symptomatic benefit. A new triple therapy CFTR modulator, elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor, is capable of treating 90% of patients with CF and has shown the greatest FEV1 improvement of any CFTR modulator yet. There is no clear consensus on surgical indications or technique, though aggressive surgery in recalcitrant disease has shown some symptomatic benefit. Endoscopic sinus surgery after lung transplantation may benefit some patients in whom the sinuses serve as a reservoir for recurrent pulmonary infections by decreasing rates of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and improving 5 year survival. Conclusion As lifespan increases for patients with CF, further investigation into medical therapy, CFTR modulator sinonasal outcomes, and surgical technique and outcomes for CF CRS is needed. Level of evidence 5.