cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, risk factors and mortality of pulmonary hypertension defined by right heart catheterization in patients with sickle cell disease

Evaluation of: Parent F, Bachir D, Inamo J et al. A hemodynamic study of pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 365(1), 44–53 (2011); Fonseca GH, Souza R, Salemi VM, Jardim CV, Gualandro SF. Pulmonary hypertension diagnosed by right heart catheterization in sickle cell disease. Eur. Respir. J. doi:10.1183/09031936.00134410 (2011) (Epub ahead of print).Three new large screening studies of patients with sickle cell disease for pulmonary hypertension have now been published. Two of these studies included comprehensive right heart catheterization of all patients with an elevation in the estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Together, these studies show that pulmonary hypertension, defined by a mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than or equal to 25 mmHg, occurs in approximately 10% of all adult sickle cell disease patients. Pulmonary hypertension in these studies is associated with hemolytic anemia, renal insufficiency, leg ulcers, increasing age, low exercise capacity and ...
Pathology consultation on anticoagulation monitoring: factor X-related assays.

Objectives: To review various anticoagulation therapies and related laboratory monitoring issues, with a focus on factor X–related chromogenic assays. Methods: A case-based approach is used to review pertinent published literatures and product inserts of anticoagulation drugs and to look back on clinical use of factor X–related chromogenic assays. Results: The number of anticoagulants available to clinicians has increased greatly in the past decade. Whether and how these anticoagulants should be monitored are areas of uncertainty for clinicians, which can lead to misuse of laboratory assays and suboptimal patient management. Factor X–related assays are of particular concern because of the similar and often confusing test names. Based on a common clinical case scenario and literature review regarding anticoagulant monitoring, an up-to-date discussion and review of the various factor X–related assays are provided, focusing on the differences in test designs and clinical utilities between the chromogenic anti-Xa and chromogenic factor X activity assays. Conclusions: Anticoagulation therapy and related laboratory monitoring are rapidly evolving areas of clinical practices. A good knowledge of relevant laboratory assays and their clinical applications is necessary to help optimize patient care.
A Colorimetric Method for the Determination of Serum Arginase Activity

A detailed description of a method for the determination of serum arginase activity is presented. Arginase activity is demonstrated by the decrease in arginine concentration in a reaction mixture, as determined by a modification of the method of Sakaguchi. The reaction is linear until inhibited by the increasing concentration of ornithine. The cellular distribution of arginase is reviewed to determine its role in diagnosis and in the evaluation of biologic systems.
Perceptual illusions and military realities: The nuclear arms race.

Past research on game theory has used the Prisoner's Dilemma as a model of the nuclear arms race between the superpowers. According to such a model, the United States and the Soviet Union are always better off individually by arming, but if both superpowers arm, the outcome is lower in utility than if both countries disarm. Using survey data from the United States Senate and surrogate Soviet political elites, supplemented by a review of American and Soviet political declarations, the present study suggests that the nuclear arms race may be best characterized as a “perceptual dilemma.” Rather than sharing the same matrix of perceived utilities—as in a Prisoner's Dilemma—players locked in a perceptual dilemma hold discrepant perceptions of the payoff matrix, and neither perception corresponds to true outcome utilities. The present article concludes with a brief discussion of the major political and methodological implications arising from the new model.
A Cost‐Benefit Analysis of Government Compensation of Kidney Donors

From 5000 to 10 000 kidney patients die prematurely in the United States each year, and about 100 000 more suffer the debilitating effects of dialysis, because of a shortage of transplant kidneys. To reduce this shortage, many advocate having the government compensate kidney donors. This paper presents a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of such a change. It considers not only the substantial savings to society because kidney recipients would no longer need expensive dialysis treatments--$1.45 million per kidney recipient--but also estimates the monetary value of the longer and healthier lives that kidney recipients enjoy--about $1.3 million per recipient. These numbers dwarf the proposed $45 000-per-kidney compensation that might be needed to end the kidney shortage and eliminate the kidney transplant waiting list. From the viewpoint of society, the net benefit from saving thousands of lives each year and reducing the suffering of 100 000 more receiving dialysis would be about $46 billion per year, with the benefits exceeding the costs by a factor of 3. In addition, it would save taxpayers about $12 billion each year.
Anxiety-Based Disorders

Barlow (1988) describes anxiety as a “diffuse cognitive-affective structure [at the heart of which] is high negative affect composed of various levels and combinations of activation and arousal, perceptions of lack of control over future events, and shifts in attention to self-evaluative concerns” (p. 235). Along slightly different lines, Wolpe (1990) operationally defines anxiety as “the individual organism’s characteristic pattern of autonomic responses to noxious stimulation” (p. 23). While the former description emphasizes anxiety’s subjective aspects, the latter highlights its overtly measurable (i. e., physiologic) correlates. Importantly, both conceptualizations refer to an experience that is quite common in the general population. Moreover, anxiety is often an appropriate and functional response to a dangerous or frightening situation (e. g., being physically attacked), and facilitates performance of behaviors (e. g., rapid escape) necessary to the survival of an organism. In contrast, excessive or inappropriately experienced anxiety is considered psychopathological when it no longer serves a purpose but instead results in functional impairment.
Influence of Water Availability on Photosynthesis, Water Potential, Leaf δ13C, and Phenology in Dominant C4 Grasses In Kansas, USA

Determining effects of drought on prairie grasses could help us understand shifts in plant distributions and abundances with altered precipitation. The mixed grass prairie of North America is the zone where tallgrass prairies of the east intermingle with shortgrass prairies of the west. Species transitions in the mixed grass prairie reflect precipitation gradients, but little is known regarding how dominant grasses respond physiologically to water availability. We measured the performance of Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans in three precipitation treatments (ambient rainfall, drought, irrigated) in a southern mixed grass prairie near Hays, Kansas, USA. Photosynthesis and water potential were measured monthly in June and July of 2010 and 2011. Phenology and height measurements were collected semimonthly in June, July, and August of 2011. Growth increased under irrigated treatments in all four species. Conversely, leaf δ13C became lower in drought ...
Current concepts in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa in children.

Purpose of review This review is intended to provide the background aetiopathogenetic framework upon which management of this disorder can be based, particularly with relation to new concepts of the pathogenesis of the disorder. The emphasis is on the prevention of the disorder's full expression by addressing the metabolic changes that drive the underlying structural damage and the immune system's subsequent reaction to this damage. Recent findings The mechanism by which dietary factors impact on this disease are elucidated, the anatomic defect suspected to be responsible for the disorder is introduced, and an updated flow sheet describing and linking the clinicopathological changes recently described are provided. Summary Recent work in the understanding of the induction and evolution of the lesions provides a background upon which the preventive regimen and both the medical and surgical approaches can be effectively based.
Prescribing Patterns of Metformin in High-risk Patients with Prediabetes.

AIMS The primary objective of this study is to examine the rates of metformin prescribing in patients with prediabetes who are either less than 60 years of age, have a BMI greater than 35 kg/m2, or women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Secondary objectives include: 1) examination of the time from diagnosis of prediabetes to the initiation of metformin and 2) if metformin initiation status and length of time correlates to the patient having any other additional diabetes mellitus (DM) risk factors. METHODS This was a single center, retrospective cohort study. This study included all patients with prediabetes, defined as having hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 39 through 46 mmol/mol (5.7-6.4 percent), who were patients at the Interim LSU Hospital and Clinics from January 2012-September 2013. RESULTS There were a total of 13 patients out of 160 patients in the study population who were prescribed metformin for an overall metformin initiation rate of 8.1 percent. The metformin initiation rate for the three individual groups; history of GDM, aged less than 60 years, and BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 were 0 percent, 9.0 percent, and 17.5 percent respectively. CONCLUSION Metformin initiation rates in patients with prediabetes are not in accordance with current recommendations, and provider education is necessary to increase rates to delay or prevent the progression of prediabetes to type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.
Carbon Nanotube Alignment Using Dielectrophoresis: A design guideline for realizing future multiwalled carbon nanotube-based devices.

The excellent electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have led to frequent suggestions of a new class of nanoscale devices, with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the fundamental building block [1]?[4]. Unfortunately, the aligned CNTs can be difficult to realize, and the majority of commercially available CNTs are sold in the form of entangled bundles, which impedes their straightforward transformation into devices since almost all of the excellent properties of CNTs are highly anisotropic. For example, the thermal conductivity of CNTs is only high in the longitudinal and not the lateral direction of the nanotubes. Thus, to exploit CNTs? properties in a device, they must be first disentangled and then aligned or oriented in a preferential direction. Nanotube disentanglement can usually be achieved via the use of surfactant in a fluid medium containing the CNTs, while a variety of techniques have been developed to align the longitudinal axes of the nanotubes.
Heat resistance of seven strains of Histoplasma.

Strain 27 -From dog, disseminated lethal disease, Cincinnati. Strain 74 -Human strain, Georgia (Dr. Emmons 6621). Strain 63 -From chronic cavitary pulmonary histoplasmosis, Cincinnati. Strain 6522-From London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, human case, Africa (Chertsey). Strain 18 -From acute lethal human histoplasmosis, Cincinnati. Strain 35 --From chronic cavitary pulmonary histoplasmosis, Cincinnati. Strain 44 -Human localized histoplasmosis from Africa (Dr. Vanbreuseghem).
Sound quality metric development for wind buffeting and gusting noise

Customer annoyance of steady-state wind noise correlates well with loudness. A common objective metric to capture average loudness is the ISO532B or Zwicker method. However, it has been shown previously that time-varying wind noise can also significantly affect customer annoyance, independent of average loudness. Causes of time-varying wind noise include wind buffeting generated by other vehicles, and also wind gusting. This paper summarizes the development of an objective metric that correlates well with subjective impressions of wind gusting/buffeting. The model is based on a general impulsive noise model with parameters tuned specifically for time-varying wind characteristics. The model consists of a psychoacoustic processing stage followed by a gusting detection stage, where the psychoacoustic stage is extracted from a time-varying loudness model. The output of the gusting model is a time series that indicates the location and "intensity" of wind gusts. The information in this time series is reduced to a single number that indicates the amount of gusting in the wind noise. An overview of the model and correlation of the metric to various listening studies are presented.
Studies of the Cloud Structure, Ionization Structure, and Elemental Abundances in High Redshift QSO BAL Region Gas

The nature of QSO broad absorption line (BAL) gas in terms of its cloud structure, ionization structure, and elemental abundances is discussed. HST-FOS spectroscopy of the individual components of a gravitationally lensed BAL QSO is used to place constraints on BAL cloud structure, with the finding that the average lineof-sight column densities are generally constant to within ±10% across a region which is likely to be approximately the size of the continuum source. Also, HST-FOS and ground-based spectroscopy of different ions of the same element in BAL QSOs reveal information that can be used to model ionization structure and elemental abundances. Analysis indicates that the absorbing clouds have non-uniform ionization and high elemental abundances. Outflows from QSOs with BAL regions may influence the chemical evolution of the universe at high redshift.
Dr. Green, Conflict Resolution, and Managing Up and Down

Dr. Green has served six months as chair of surgery. The dean had appointed him as an outside candidate over the strenuous objections of the powerful previous chair, Dr. Black, a vascular surgeon. Dr. Black had lobbied hard, though unsuccessfully, for his protege in the division of vascular surgery and division chief, Dr. Cole, to succeed him as chair. Dr. Black has been actively undermining Dr. Green’s efforts to bring greater harmony to a highly fractured department and to substantially increase revenues and improve a generally anemic research base in the department, all of which he had been charged to do by the dean when he was appointed.
Learning Law and Economics

The purpose of this book is to provide an elementary introduction to the body of thought known as “law and economics,” or alternatively as “economic analysis of law.” As is implied by its alternative name of economic analysis of law, the field of law and economics is concerned primarily with applying the methods of economic analysis to law and legal problems. Thus, law and economics primarily is a method of analysis; it is not a philosophy, political, moral, or otherwise; it is a tool. As such, it has achieved application across a spectrum of topics in law, and is used by people holding widely divergent perspectives on the legal process. Because of its increasing success in application, law and economics also can be viewed as a chapter in intellectual history, and one that is continuing today.My aim in writing this book is two-fold. First, I seek to bring the essentials of law and economics to a wider audience, including those who are not professionally involved or previously trained in either law or economics. Second, the treatment here emphasizes an important aspect of economic analysis that too often is overlooked or de-emphasized in other introductory treatments, which is the economics of information production.There are several excellent existing works on law and economics, including some introductory treatments, but these tend to be aimed at relatively specialized audiences, such as American law students or graduate economics students. My objective is to make law and economics accessible to the interested general reader, whether in the United States or elsewhere. As such, the book can be used as a text in undergraduate or graduate University courses, as well as law schools and economics graduate courses, or for self-study by others interested in the subject, whatever their prior background. Of necessity, my objective leads me to neglect certain topics and simplify others. However, simplicity need not produce a lack of sophistication. Overall, my aim is to show the broad usefulness of the few simple ideas that make up the law-and-economics paradigm. Detailed refinements or leading-edge critiques of the analysis, and debates over the normative implications of law and economics, largely are left to other works.Who should be interested in learning law and economics? In my opinion, nearly everyone should be interested in learning something about law and economics, because its subject matter affects everyone who lives in society. Economics studies the conditions and consequences of human choice, and law is concerned with the conditions for human cooperation within a social group. Taken together, law and economics focus on the conditions for successful human cooperation within a society. Members of a society, which is most of us, all have an interest in meeting our own personal objectives within the social group, which may bring us into conflict with others. Economic analysis of law addresses the question of how those individual interests can be reconciled with one another.
Nitric oxide promotes GABA release by activating a voltage-independent Ca2+ influx pathway in retinal amacrine cells

Retinal amacrine cells express nitric oxide (NO) synthase and produce NO, making NO available to regulate the function of amacrine cells. Here we test the hypothesis that NO can alter the GABAergic synaptic output of amacrine cells. We investigate this using whole cell voltage clamp recordings and Ca2+ imaging of cultured chick retinal amacrine cells. When recording from amacrine cells receiving synaptic input from other amacrine cells, we find that NO increases GABAergic spontaneous postsynaptic current (sPSC) frequency. This increase in sPSC frequency does not require the canonical NO receptor, soluble guanylate cyclase, or presynaptic action potentials. However, removal of extracellular Ca2+ and buffering of cytosolic Ca2+ both inhibit the response to NO. In Ca2+ imaging experiments, we confirm that NO increases cytosolic Ca2+ in amacrine cell processes by activating a Ca2+ influx pathway. Neither the increase in sPSC frequency nor the cytosolic Ca2+ elevations are dependent upon Ca2+ release from stores. NO also enhances evoked GABAergic responses. Because voltage-gated Ca2+ channel function is not altered by NO, the increased evoked response is likely due to the combined effect of voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx adding to the NO-dependent, voltage-independent, Ca2+ influx. Insight into the identity of the Ca2+ influx pathway is provided by the transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) channel inhibitor clemizole, which prevents the NO-dependent increase in sPSC frequency and cytosolic Ca2+ elevations. These data suggest that NO production in the inner retina will enhance Ca2+-dependent GABA release from amacrine cells by activating TRPC channel(s).NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our research provides evidence that nitric oxide (NO) promotes GABAergic output from retinal amacrine cells by activating a likely transient receptor potential canonical-mediated Ca2+ influx pathway. This NO-dependent mechanism promoting GABA release can be voltage independent, suggesting that, in the retina, local NO production can bypass the formal retinal circuitry and increase local inhibition.
MEGA PROSTHESES FOR WELL FIXED TKA FEMORAL FX'S – OPPOSES

Peri-prosthetic fractures above a TKA are becoming increasingly more common, and typically occur at the junction of the anterior flange of the femoral component and the osteopenic metaphyseal distal femur. In the vast majority of cases the TKA is well-fixed and has been functioning well prior to fracture. For loose components, revision is typically indicated. Often, distal femoral mega prostheses are required to deal with metaphyseal bone loss. Good results have been reported in small series, however, complications, including infection remain concerning, and these implants are incredibly expensive. Although performing a mega prosthesis in the setting of a well-fixed TKA is not unreasonable due to immediate full weight bearing, in my opinion, prosthetic replacement should be limited to cases of failed ORIF (rare), or in cases where fixation is likely to fail (i.e., severe osteolysis distally). For the majority of fractures above well-fixed components, internal fixation is preferred for the main reason that the overwhelming majority of these fractures will heal. Fixation options include retrograde nailing or lateral locked plating. Nails are typically considered in arthroplasties that allow intercondylar access (“open box PS” or CR implants) and have sufficient length of the distal fragment to allow multiple locking screws to be used. This situation is rare, as most distal fragments are quite short. If a nail is chosen, use of a long nail is preferred, since it allows the additional fixation and alignment that diaphyseal fill affords. Short nails should be discouraged since they can “toggle” in the meta-diaphysis and do not engage the diaphysis to improve coronal alignment. Plates can be used with any implant type and any length of distal fragment. The challenge with either fixation strategy is obtaining stable fixation of the distal fragment while maintaining length, alignment, and rotation. Fixation opportunities in the distal fragment can be limited due to obstacles caused by femoral component lugs, boxes, stems, cement mantles, and areas of stress shielding or osteolysis. Modern lateral locked plates can be inserted in a biologically friendly submuscular extra-periosteal fashion. More recent developments with polyaxial locked screws (that allow angulation prior to end-point locking) may offer even more versatility when distal fragment fixation is challenging. The goal of fixation is to obtain as many long locked screws in the distal fragment as possible. High union rates have been reported with modern locked plating techniques, however, biplanar fluoroscopic vigilance is required to prevent malalignments, typically valgus, distraction, and distal fragment hyperextension.
A Case of Narcolepsy Type 2 and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Secondary to Lesions of the Thalamus and Amygdala.

Although there are reports of narcolepsy type 1 caused by lesions of the central nervous system, there are far fewer reports of narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) caused by discrete brain lesions. We report a...
NETWORKS | The Substantia Nigra in the Control of Seizures

The overall goal of research in many laboratories is to identify mechanisms involved in the suppression of seizures as a function of age and gender. Epidemiological studies suggest that early in life, the brain is very susceptible to seizures and especially status epilepticus (SE). The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) is one of the brain sites critically involved in the control of seizures. Understanding the normal development of this endogenous system, as well as the spectrum and progressive nature of SE-induced changes in brain function, may have important implications in the design of treatments aimed at disease modification – particularly with respect to specific age groups in either gender.
Effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase, alkaline protease, and exotoxin A on corneal proteinases and proteins.

Purpose To determine the effects of exoproducts from the corneal pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa on corneal proteinases and proteins. Methods Whole rabbit corneas were cultured in the presence or absence of broths conditioned with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, elastase, alkaline protease, and exotoxin A. Protein synthesis was assayed by adding 35S-methionine during the last 6 hours of culture. Caseinolytic assays and zymography on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels containing casein and gelatin were used in the presence and absence of inhibitors to quantify and identify corneal proteinases. Results The major proteinases released by the corneas were 92/89 kD (MMP9) and 65 kD (72 kD gelatinase, MMP2) gelatinases and a 97 kD caseinase. Minor proteinases observed included 184, 166, 156, 153, 126, 111, 102, 60, 57, and 43 kD gelatinases and 170, 136, 85, and 54 kD caseinases. P. aeruginosa elastase at 1 microgram/ml cleaved the 92 kD gelatinase to yield a 77 kD active form and cleaved the 65 kD gelatinase to yield a 57 kD active form. At 25 micrograms/ml elastase, the gelatinases were degraded. P. aeruginosa alkaline protease had no effect on the 92 or 65 kD gelatinases. Both elastase and alkaline protease degraded the 97 kD caseinase. Proteinases other than elastase and alkaline protease in P. aeruginosa103- and P. aeruginosa01-conditioned broths also activated and/or degraded corneal proteinases. Exotoxin A inhibited the synthesis of the 92 kD gelatinase and most other proteins. The 72 kD gelatinase and the 97 kD caseinase were released in the presence of exotoxin A. Conclusions Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproducts can contribute directly to keratitis caused by Pseudomonas organisms through toxic effects on corneal cells and degradation of corneal proteins and indirectly through the activation of corneal proteinases.
The Medical School Admissions Committee

Many medical students who sought psychiatric help had personality problems before entering medical school and the major cause of maladaptation was “the personality they brought with them,” according to Hunter et al.1 The study of psychiatric illness in medical students by Pitts et al. demonstrated a high correlation with family histories positive for psychiatric illness.2 Modlin and Montes, in their study of physician addicts, and Vaillant et al., in their work on psychological vulnerabilities, point to early childhood factors that influence the need for psychiatric care.3,4 Blachly et al. describe the physician at risk for suicide as “competitive, compulsive, individualistic, ambitious, a graduate of a high prestige school, one who had mood swings, had problems with drugs, or alcohol, a non-lethal annoying physical illness, and one who may feel a lack of restraint by society.”5 These risk factors are discussed in Chapter 1, Emotional Problems of Physicians: Nature and Extent of Problems.
Reflex Modification: A Tool for Assessing Basic Auditory Function in Anuran Amphibians

Reflex modification is a psychophysical technique based on the phenomenon that the response to a reflex-eliciting stimulus is changed in amplitude by the prior presentation of a neutral prestimulus. This technique provides reliable data on hearing thresholds both in quiet and in noise for anuran amphibians. Potential difficulties with the reflex modification technique include variability in the effectiveness of the reflex-eliciting stimulus, individual variability between animals, variability in the slopes of psychometric functions, and the small size of reflex modification effects in anurans.
Primary Emotions: Sympathy, Wonder, Creativity

I have been distinguishing primary emotions without which we cannot adequately envision what survival means for persons. Three other prominent emotions—sympathy, wonder, creativity—are generally derived from other, unlearned tendencies. Difficulties regarding nomenclature aside, I suspect that the failure even to consider that emotions like sympathy, wonder, and creativity are unlearned stems in large part from the assumption that the appearance of an emotion at a later stage of a person’s cognitive development means that it is an acquired expression of unlearned motives. Unhesitatingly I grant that none of these emotions (as I shall define them) can exist in a being incapable of the self-consciousness and the cognitive abilities that make their appearance as a person matures beyond infancy.1 All along I have submitted that cognitive developments are intrinsic to unlearned emotions. In forwarding these three emotions as primary, I continue to distinguish the meaning that defines each as an irreducible qualitative tendency within the matrix of the being-becoming person.
The origin and biosynthesis of the naphthalenoid moiety of juglone in black walnut

Several members of the Juglandaceae family produce juglone, a specialized 1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NQ) natural product that is responsible for the notorious allelopathic effects of black walnut (Juglans nigra). Despite its documented ecological roles and potential for being developed as a novel natural product-based herbicide, none of the genes involved in synthesizing juglone have been identified. Based on classical labeling studies, we hypothesized that biosynthesis of juglone's naphthalenoid moiety is shared with biochemical steps of the phylloquinone pathway. Here, using comparative transcriptomics in combination with targeted metabolic profiling of 1,4-NQs in various black walnut organs, we provide evidence that phylloquinone pathway genes involved in 1,4-dihydroxynaphthoic acid (DHNA) formation are expressed in roots for synthesis of a compound other than phylloquinone. Feeding experiments using axenic black walnut root cultures revealed that stable isotopically labeled l-glutamate incorporates into juglone resulting in the same mass shift as that expected for labeling of the quinone ring in phylloquinone. Taken together, these results indicate that in planta, an intermediate from the phylloquinone pathway provides the naphthalenoid moiety of juglone. Moreover, this work shows that juglone can be de novo synthesized in roots without the contribution of immediate precursors translocated from aerial tissues. The present study illuminates all genes involved in synthesizing the juglone naphthoquinone ring and provides RNA-sequencing datasets that can be used with functional screening studies to elucidate the remaining juglone pathway genes. Translation of the generated knowledge is expected to inform future metabolic engineering strategies for harnessing juglone as a novel natural product-based herbicide.
To Sell or Not to Sell to an Off-Price Retailer in the Presence of Strategic Consumers

Abstract In the newsvendor model, strategic consumers choose between buying the product at the regular price or waiting to try to buy the product at the discount price. Retailers can benefit from the ability to decrease strategic consumers’ perceived probability of finding a unit available at the discount price. Selling some inventory to an off-price retailer, who has a large number of thrift consumers, enables retailers to change consumers’ perceived probability of product availability at a reduced price, but at a cost of losing some strategic consumers to the off-price retailer. We show that without the off-price retailer’s exclusive consumers and even if the off-price retailer buys the product for a price below the retailer’s cost, the retailer can still be better-off with the off-price retailer. We also find that the retailer benefits more when the off-price retailer charges higher price for the product and has a large consumer segment of its own.
Mathematical Analysis of Corotating Nose-Gear Shimmy Phenomenon

A derivation of the equation of motion of a nose gear having four degrees of freedom is presented. These equations are obtained by using a special form of the powerful Lagrangian formalism. This approach demands relatively little physical intuition and produces rigorous results. This derivation yields the differential equations of motion in their unlinearized form to make possible an investigation of shimmy amplitude for the proper design of damping devices. Such information about shimmy amplitude is not forthcoming from the linearized form of the differential equations, which are amplitude-independent. Only the linearized differential equations are at present found in the literature. A detailed comparison of the linearized form of the equations of motion here derived, with those developed by Moreland, is also presented with discussion of several points of interest revealed by the formalism here employed.
Raising the Bar for Procedural Competency Among Hospitalists.

Despite the key role hospitalists play in performing and teaching bedside procedures, guidance regarding the assessment of their competency in these areas is lacking. The authors discuss the defici...
Chapter 15 – Down Syndrome

Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability (ID) and recent prevalence estimates suggest that there are 11.8 to 14.47 per 10,000 live births in the United States with DS. It is estimated that 250,000 people in the United States have DS. In turn, World Health Organization estimates for DS range between 10 to 11 in 10,000 live births worldwide. This chapter summarizes current knowledge on DS risk and prevalence, behavioral, psychiatric, physical, and neurological manifestations of the disease, and the effects of aging on cognitive functioning of individuals with DS. Potential early indicators of Alzheimer disease in DS and recommendations for complete evaluation of dementia in individuals with ID are provided.
Evaluating bikesharing service quality: a case study for BIXI, Montreal

Public transportation is vital to city's economy and public health. It has always been an important part of human life, which has aided not only in travel time savings but also giving a medium of l...
Abstract P282: A Simple Clinical Scoring System Using Readily Available Clinical Measures for Prediction of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Evidence From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Background: Many patients have risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the leading cause of liver disease in the US. Screening all patients with risk factors for NAFLD using ult...
Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Medicine (EM/CCM) Trainees’ Performance on Standardized Critical Care Medicine Examinations: A Ten-Year Review

Abstract Background Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Medicine (EM/CCM) trainees may obtain board certification through Internal Medicine (American Board of Internal Medicine [ABIM]), Surgery (American Board of Surgery [ABS]), and Anesthesiology (American Board of Anesthesiology [ABA]). However, EM/CCM trainees experience challenges, including: 1) additional training requirements and 2) an unwillingness to accept EM graduates by many programs. Objectives We sought to: 1) compare EM/CCM knowledge acquisition to medicine (Internal Medicine [IM]/CCM), surgery (surgical critical care [SCC]), and anesthesiology (anesthesiology critical care medicine [ACCM]) Fellows at the local and national level using the Multidisciplinary Critical Care Knowledge Assessment Program (MCCKAP) in-service examination as an objective measure; and 2) compare American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) pass rates for EM/CCM. Methods Single-center retrospective analysis comparing scores obtained by EM/CCM on the MCCKAP examination with SCC and ACCM over a 10-year period. Scores are presented as means with standard deviations. We performed similar analysis on ABMS examination pass rates. Results There were 117 MCCKAP scores (37 EM/CCM; 80 SCC and ACCM) evaluated. EM/CCM mean score 562.4 (SD 67.4); SCC and ACCM mean score 505.3, (SD 87.5) at the institutional level (p Conclusions EM/CCM Fellows demonstrate successful knowledge acquisition both locally and at a national level. EM/CCM achieve ABMS pass rates similar to other CCM trainees. The current arbitrary additional training requirements placed on EM/CCM should be removed.
Being the Soul-Freeing Substance: A Legacy of Hope in Afro Humanity:

[W. E. B. Du Bois dreamed] of a world of infinite and invaluable variety. . . of true freedom: in thought and dream, fantasy, and imagination, in gift, aptitude, and genius all possible manner of difference, topped with freedom of individuality. . . to stop this freedom of being is a blow at democracy. . . .There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race or poverty. (Du Bois, 1965, p. 261)
The Troubling Case of the Unlimited Pass-Through Deduction

Updated 6/29/20. This paper dissects section 2304 of the CARES Act, which temporarily suspends § 461(l), a limitation on deducting certain business tax losses. Enacted by Congress less than three years ago as part of the 2017 Tax Act, § 461(l) prevented individuals from deducting business losses from pass-through entities against more than $500,000 of other ordinary income. The suspension of this provision in the CARES Act, which I refer to as the unlimited pass-through deduction, allows taxpayers with extremely high incomes to deduct tax losses and thus to reduce or even totally zero out their income tax liability, including retroactively. Combining distributional estimates of other provisions of the CARES Act with estimates from the unlimited pass-through deduction, I show that the unlimited pass-through deduction inverts the perceived progressivity of the cash rebates that were the primary individual-focused element of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. I detail how the deduction operates, including how it interacts with other provisions of the CARES Act and other provisions of the Tax Code, in particular bonus depreciation. I also examine the legislative backstory of how the limitation came to exist as part of the 2017 Tax Act and how it came to be repealed in the CARES Act. The context explored here sheds light on the current political economy of federal tax legislation generally, and in particular on the political economy of hastily enacted tax legislation, which should perhaps be viewed as a regular mode of tax legislating. The high-income beneficiaries of the unlimited pass-through deduction will receive cash rebates in 2020 based on losses they realized long before the COVID-19 crisis hit, as detailed below, and there are no particular indicators that these taxpayers have faced particular challenges due to COVID-19 or are in any current need regardless of the cause. Further, the deduction payouts are not conditioned on taking any future actions or using the funds received in a way that might have positive spillover effects for the broader economy or for populations that are particularly vulnerable to suffer negative economic consequences of COVID-19. Thus, the unlimited pass-through deduction cannot be justified as a targeted response to circumstances created by the spread of COVID-19. And, it is definitively not a minor technical fix that should be accepted as necessary or ignored as inevitable given the circumstances.
Academic Librarians and the Sustainability Curriculum: Building Alliances to Support a Paradigm Shift

Sustainability is a fast evolving movement in higher education demonstrated by a proliferation of academic programs, co-curricular initiatives, and campus projects. Sustainability is now viewed as vital to the mission of many institutions of higher education, creating a paradigm shift that librarians can help advance with their collective interdisciplinary expertise. A review of LibGuides (online resource guides) showed that academic librarians are involved with sustainability efforts on many campuses and have a role in shaping curriculum-related activities. The author administered a survey to creators of sustainability LibGuides during the spring of 2011, posting the survey on library listservs as well. Librarians returned 112 survey responses that illustrated their engagement in sustainability activities through the forging of campus partnerships with administrators, faculty, staff from the Office of Sustainability, and library colleagues. Telephone interviews conducted with 24 of the respondents showed librarians’ wide-ranging professional interest in sustainability, and their initiatives to promote its cause, including creating resources, collections, exhibits, and events; library instruction; co-teaching with faculty; serving on sustainability committees; and collaborating with sustainability faculty and staff. However, both the survey and the interviews suggest that librarians would benefit from increased collaboration and knowledge of work undertaken elsewhere. Moreover, as the needs of students and faculty studying sustainability increase, libraries need to appoint librarians with special responsibilities in this field. Included is the author’s experience as the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her engagement in professional development activities related to sustainability. Best practices for librarians to advance sustainability efforts are offered.
Microwave-assisted lignin liquefaction in hydrazine and ethylene glycol: Reaction pathways via response surface methodology

Abstract Microwave assisted liquefaction (MAL) of alkali lignin in ethylene glycol (EG) in the presence of hydrazine was carried out using response surface methodology. Dielectric properties of mixtures of lignin/EG at different hydrazine concentrations were determined to enhance the understanding of the MAL process. MAL parameters were hydrazine concentration (1–3%), temperature (100-180 °C), time (5-45 min) with the maximum microwave heating power limited to 750 W. Lignin/EG ratio was fixed at 1 g:10 ml. Dielectric properties were significantly influenced by hydrazine concentration and temperature. Major products from the liquefaction process (as % of peak areas) were grouped into guaiacol and derivatives (17–42%), Nitrogen compounds (0–27%), and Hydroxylated products (8–22%), and their yields were modelled with polynomial equations. Product yields were significantly influenced by process parameters. Optimum parameters for maximizing yields of guaiacol and nitrogen containing compounds were 0.5%, 180 °C, 25 min and 2.5%, 130, 25 min for hydrazine concentration, temperature, and time, respectively. Low hydrazine concentration increases guaiacol yield at higher temperatures, indicating that at high temperatures hydrazine behaves as a hydrogen donor for lignin liquefaction. The yield of nitrogen containing compounds increases at relatively low temperatures and high concentration of hydrazine. Apart from playing the respective roles of liquefaction solvent and hydrogen donor, EG and hydrazine also take part in the reaction thereby significantly modifying the composition of reaction products. A mechanistic reaction mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of the liquefaction products.
DNMT1 reads heterochromatic H4K20me3 to reinforce LINE-1 DNA methylation

DNA methylation and trimethylated histone H4 Lysine 20 (H4K20me3) constitute two important heterochromatin-enriched marks that frequently cooperate in silencing repetitive elements of the mammalian genome. However, it remains elusive how these two chromatin modifications crosstalk. Here, we report that DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) specifically 'recognizes' H4K20me3 via its first bromo-adjacent-homology domain (DNMT1BAH1). Engagement of DNMT1BAH1-H4K20me3 ensures heterochromatin targeting of DNMT1 and DNA methylation at LINE-1 retrotransposons, and cooperates with the previously reported readout of histone H3 tail modifications (i.e., H3K9me3 and H3 ubiquitylation) by the RFTS domain to allosterically regulate DNMT1's activity. Interplay between RFTS and BAH1 domains of DNMT1 profoundly impacts DNA methylation at both global and focal levels and genomic resistance to radiation-induced damage. Together, our study establishes a direct link between H4K20me3 and DNA methylation, providing a mechanism in which multivalent recognition of repressive histone modifications by DNMT1 ensures appropriate DNA methylation patterning and genomic stability.
Impact of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection on post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG antibodies in a longitudinal cohort of healthcare workers

Abstract Waning serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 have sparked discussions about long-term immunity and need for vaccine boosters. We examined SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG antibodies in a longitudinal cohort, comparing antibody decay in individuals who received an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. We completed a longitudinal cohort of healthcare workers (HWs) between June 2020 and September 2021. HWs were included if they had a serum sample collected after SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or a serum sample collected ≥ 14 days after second dose of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Linear regression models adjusting for vaccine type, age, and sex were used to compare post-vaccination antibody levels between 1) HWs with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and 2) HWs with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection ≤ 90 days and > 90 days prior to first vaccine. Serum was collected from 98 HWs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and before vaccine, and 1960 HWs ≥ 14 days following second vaccine dose. Serum spike antibody levels were higher after vaccination than after natural infection. Compared to SARS-CoV-2 naive individuals, those with prior infection maintained higher post-vaccination mean spike IgG values at 1, 3, and 6 months, after adjusting for age, sex, and vaccine type. Individuals with PCR-confirmed infection > 90 days before vaccination had higher post-vaccination antibody levels than individuals infected ≤ 90 days before vaccination. Individuals with three exposures to spike protein maintain the highest antibody levels particularly when first and second exposures were greater than 90 days apart. A booster dose provides a third exposure and may similarly induce a more durable antibody response.
Missed Opportunities for Sexual History Documentation and Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Abstract Purpose Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are disproportionally prevalent in adolescents, and adolescents often present to the pediatric emergency department (PED) for STI care. Prior studies have found low rates of sexual history documentation and STI testing in the PED. However, these studies have had limited sample sizes because of the burden of manual chart review. We aimed to estimate the rate of sexual history documentation and identify factors associated with STI testing in a large cohort of adolescents using natural language processing (NLP). Methods We applied a validated NLP algorithm to all adolescent visits over a three-year period to the PED at a single large children's health care organization with a chief complaint potentially related to an STI. We utilized NLP to determine the prevalence of sexual history documentation in these patients. We applied logistic regression models to determine associations between sexual history documentation, patient demographic factors, and STI testing. Results Of the 1,987 patient encounters included, only 56% had a sexual history documented, and only 40% of all patients were tested for STIs. Patients were more likely to have a sexual history documented and to be tested for STIs if they were of non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity, were >15 years of age, and had nonprivate insurance. Patients with a sexual history documented were seven times more likely to have STI testing ordered. Of patients tested (n = 728), 25% were positive for an STI. Conclusions Despite presenting to the PED with symptoms potentially related to an STI, many adolescents are not receiving recommended sexual health care. Rates of sexual history documentation and STI testing varied by demographic factors including race, age, and insurance status. Utilizing NLP technology allowed us to examine a larger sample size than previously documented in the adolescent sexual history and PED literature. This study highlights critical opportunities to improve sexual health provision and equity of care provided in the PED.
“You Didn’t Connect with Me”

“You didn’t connect with me.” The words, by the time I read them, a few months after the graduate course had concluded, were sterilized’anonymous and word processed, tucked into the pages of course evaluation data in my inbox. I knew they were coming, knew in the way that most of us who teach know when we’ve had a particularly tension-ridden class filled with strong personalities, a few of whom finish our courses unhappy.