cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase Diagrams for the Systems MgCl2‐MgF2, CaCl2‐MgF2, and NaCl‐MgF2

Equilibrium phase diagrams for the systems MgCl2-MgF2, CaCl2-MgF2 and NaCl-MgF2 were determined by differential thermal analysis, thermal analysis, and temperature-composition equilibrium techniques. Simple eutectics were observed at 78.0±0.5 mol% MgCl2 and 628°±2°C in the MgCl2-MgF2 system, at 87.5±0.5 mol% CaCl2 and 694°±2°C in the CaCl2-MgF2 system, and at 95.5±0.5 mol% NaCl and 786°±3°C in the NaCl-MgF2 system. The phase diagrams determined for these systems were compared with phase diagrams that were computed using Temkin's model. The phase diagrams of the CaCl2-MgF2 and NaCl-MgF2 systems were also compared with diagrams that were computed using the expression suggested by Flood et al. for reciprocal systems. The experimentally determined and computed phase diagrams agreed for the MgCl2-MgF2 system but not for the CaCl2-MgF2 and NaCl-MgF2 systems.
Work-hour restrictions and orthopaedic resident education: a systematic review

The ACGME (US) and The European Working Time Directive (UK) placed work-hour restrictions on medical trainees with the goal of improved patient safety. However, there has been concern over a potential decrease in medical education. Orthopaedic training is the focus of this study. We examined previously published subjective and objective data regarding education and work-hour restrictions and developed the questions: Do specific perceptions emerge within the subjective studies examined? Are there objective differences in educational measures before and after work-hour restrictions? Is there a difference between the subjective and objective data? A systematic review was conducted via MedLine, regarding orthopaedic studies in the USA and UK, with reference to work-hour restrictions and education. Subjective survey studies demonstrate that residents and attending physicians have a negative response to work-hour restrictions because of the perceived impact on their overall education and operating room experience. Conversely, limited objective studies demonstrated no change in operative volume before or after implementation of restrictions. This review highlights the need for more objective studies on the educational implications of work-hour restrictions. Studies to date have not demonstrated a measurable difference based on case logs or training scores. Opinion-based surveys demonstrate an overall negative perception by both residents and attending physicians, on the impact of work-hour restrictions on orthopaedic education. Current published data is limited and stronger evidence-based data are needed before definitive conclusions can be reached.
Noninvasive Ventilation in Neuromuscular Disease: Equipment and Application

Noninvasive support of ventilation is commonly needed in patients with neuromuscular disease. Body ventilators, which are used rarely, function by applying intermittent negative pressure to the thorax or abdomen. More commonly, noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) is used. This therapy can be applied with a variety of interfaces, ventilators, and ventilator settings. The patient interface has a major impact on comfort during NPPV. The most commonly used interfaces are nasal masks and oronasal masks. Other interfaces include nasal pillows, total face masks, helmets, and mouthpieces. Theoretically, any ventilator can be attached to a mask rather than an artificial airway. Portable pressure ventilators (bi-level positive airway pressure) are available specifically to provide NPPV and are commonly used to provide this therapy. Selection of NPPV settings in patients with neuromuscular disease is often done empirically and is symptom-based. Selection of settings can also be based on the results of physiologic studies or sleep studies. The use of NPPV in this patient population is likely to expand, particularly with increasing evidence that it is life-prolonging in patients with diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Appropriate selection of equipment and settings for NPPV is paramount to the success of this therapy.
Abstract 1960: Transgenic overexpression of Cdx1b in zebrafish induces metaplastic changes of gene expression in the squamous epithelium

Background and aims: Cdx2 has been suggested to play an important role in Barrett9s esophagus (BE), or intestinal metaplasia (IM) in the esophagus. However, it is still unclear whether ectopic overexpression of Cdx2 may lead to IM in the esophagus in vivo. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether transgenic overexpression of Cdx1b, the functional equivalent of mammalian Cdx2 in zebrafish, may lead to IM of squamous epithelium in zebrafish. Methods: We first characterized the histology of the upper gastrointestinal tract of zebrafish. A highly conserved promoter of zebrafish keratin 5 was cloned to drive transgenic expression of GFP. A transgenic zebrafish system was then developed by expressing Cdx1b gene under the control of zebrafish keratin 5 promoter (zK5p). Cdx1b expression in the squamous epithelium of transgenic zebrafish was analyzed by in situ hybridization, immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. Gene expression in the squamous epithelium of wild-type and transgenic zebrafish was analyzed by Affymetrix microarray and confirmed by in situ hybridization. Morphology, mucin expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed by HE 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1960.
Notch3 Overexpression Promotes Anoikis Resistance in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer via Upregulation of COL4A2

Ovarian cancer is a lethal disease with the majority of diagnosed women having distant metastases. Interestingly, although Notch3 overexpression has been correlated with poor survival in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), little is known about its mechanism of action. Data show that Notch3 specifically promotes anoikis resistance. In addition, data indicate a positive role for focal adhesion kinase (FAK) as well as downstream signaling kinases such as Akt and Erk 1/2 in promoting anchorage-independent growth. Mechanistically, both mRNA transcript and protein levels of type IV collagen (COL4A2) are reduced when Notch3 levels are decreased and exogenous collagen IV supplementation reverses the anoikis sensitivity. Reduction of COL4A2 expression by RNAI-mediated knockdown induces cell death. Finally, elevated Notch3 expression levels correlate with higher COL4A2 expression in human ovarian tumor specimens. Implications: These data highlight type IV collagen as a novel therapeutic target for metastatic EOC. Visual Overview:http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2014/11/25/1541-7786.MCR-14-0334/F1.large.jpg Mol Cancer Res; 13(1); 78–85. ©2014 AACR.
In Utero Exposure to Nicotine, Cocaine, and Amphetamines

Nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines (methamphetamine, amphetamine, and 3,4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine, “MDMA/Ecstasy”) are all psychomotor stimulants, a class of drugs in which significant sensorimotor activation occurs in response to drug administration. Effects on child developmental outcome are important to consider given their widespread use during pregnancy, but gaps in the research literature are striking, with only a few studies on amphetamines. Prenatal stimulant exposure exerts physiologic stress on the pregnancy and increases chances of birth complications and intrauterine growth restriction. Brain imaging data support structural and functional differences attributable to prenatal stimulant exposure. Prenatal nicotine exposure has a small negative effect on overall IQ in a dose–response relationship while prenatal cocaine exposure has no overall effect on IQ but specific effects on visual-perceptual reasoning, executive function, language, and behavior. Prenatal methamphetamine exposure is related to motor, behavioral, and specific cognitive deficits in the preschool years. Similar deficits in motor development were found in a well-controlled study of MDMA exposed children to 2 years. Prenatal nicotine and cocaine exposure are associated with decreased academic performance, attention and executive function problems, language deficits, increased externalizing behaviors, and teen substance use. Data on prenatal amphetamine exposure is sparse but suggest problems in executive skills and internalizing behaviors. In sum, prenatal stimulant exposure interferes with development, educational attainment, and risk for teen substance abuse. Early developmental assessment and intervention for identified weaknesses are recommended.
Breast feeding: the baby friendly initiative

Editor—We share Malik and Cutting’s enthusiasm for Unicef’s baby friendly initiative in the United Kingdom but were disappointed that they did not acknowledge the great progress made over the past year.1 It is pessimistic to state that hospitals have been slow to work with the initiative. In fact, almost all units are working towards baby friendly accreditation; 11 British maternity units have achieved the required standard and another 40 have a certificate of commitment. Although Malik and Cutting suggest that hospitals might be demoralised by unachievable targets (such as the 75% breastfeeding rate required for the global baby friendly award), we removed this requirement for the United Kingdom’s standard award in order to focus on the support and encouragement of best clinical practice. It is also unfair to suggest that the baby friendly initiative is confined to hospitals. On 15 May we launched best practice standards for community healthcare settings, with the support of the minister for public health. This is the first step in introducing the initiative into the community and provides a framework around which clinical accreditation will be developed. The United Kingdom will probably be unique in having a primary care baby friendly award. As with the existing awards, particular emphasis is placed on support for mothers to make informed decisions about feeding their babies. Malik and Cutting call for better coordination with existing groups that support mothers; in fact, all four national groups are fully involved with the baby friendly initiative. We were also puzzled by the statement that “government and NHS managers should recognise and encourage [the baby friendly initiative’s] development.” The Department of Health has worked in partnership with the initiative since its inception in the United Kingdom,2,3 while an increasing proportion of NHS managers see the initiative as a cost effective quality framework to achieve a high standard of care, which can be independently accredited. We agree that much more could be done to support mothers in their choice to breast feed. Nevertheless, the healthcare system has a crucial role; it was particularly pleasing to note that the 1995 infant feeding statistics4 documented progress on relevant hospital practices.5 We are optimistic that the progress of Unicef’s baby friendly initiative in the United Kingdom can strengthen this trend.
Control of photovoltaic system power generation using sliding mode control

Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sources are rapidly becoming more popular than ever. The PV system output power relies on the applied current or voltage nonlinearity, and there exists a unique point called maximum power point (MPP). In addressing effective energy extraction from the PV system, this paper presents a controller design strategy to track the MPP of a PV system using the sliding mode control method of self-optimization. The PV system modeling practice is discussed. The proposed controller design offers a fast and accurate convergence to the MPP in steady state and during varying environmental conditions. A DC/DC boost converter is utilized as a control actuator for the MPP tracking using pulse width modulation (PWM) control on the switches. Results and discussion are provided to demonstrate the validity of the proposed controller design.
A survey of modularity in genetic programming

Here, in this paper, we survey work on modularity in Genetic Programming gp. The motivation for modularity was driven by research efforts, as we shall see, to make gp programs smaller and more efficient. In the literature, modularity has commonly used Koza's term, Automatically Defined Functions adf. But, we shall see, that the modularity concept has undergone many name and design changes. From the early ideas of Koza and Price's Defined Building Blocks dbb to Binard and Felty's work with System F and gp Briggs and O'Neill's work with Combinators in gp. Our goal in this paper is to survey the literature on this evolution. This will include Automatically Defined Functions adfs, Automatically Defined Macros adm, Adaptive Representation Through Learning arl, Module Acquisition ma, Hierarchically Defined Local Modules hgp, Higher Order Functions using λ calculus lc and Combinators. We also include critiques by researchers on the viability these various efforts.
The Press of War Imagery

At some point and somewhere in autumn 1862, poet Emily Dickinson saw a parade. The parade was a send-off for soldiers. One can imagine the scene: waving flags, hats, and handkerchiefs; gay explosio...
RH Gene Polymorphisms Are Risk Factor for Alloimmunization in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease.

Transfusion therapy for treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) is predicted to increase, following the significant benefit of chronic red cell transfusion demonstrated by the stroke prevention trial (STOP). Despite progress in mitigating negative effects of transfusion therapy with the use of iron chelating agents, alloimmunization remains a significant problem. Patients with SCD have a higher incidence of antibody production compared to other patient groups undergoing chronic transfusion. To limit alloimmunization, many programs transfuse SCD patients with RBCs that are phenotype-matched for the most immunogenic blood groups, Rh and K, and some programs also supply RBCs from African-American (AA) donors. Although this approach reduces the incidence of alloantibody production, it is resource- and cost-prohibitive for many programs, and, importantly, some patients (∼5%) still become alloimmunized. The development of high-throughput genotyping for blood group antigens will make antigen-matching cost effective; therefore, it is important to determine why some patients become alloimmunized despite antigen-matching. We investigated the antibody specificity and sequenced the RH genes in 46 SCD patients who were alloimmunized, despite having received Rh and K matched units. The antibodies identified included anti-D, or -C, or -e, and/or antibodies to high-prevalence antigens. None had anti-E. RH gene sequencing revealed that 20 patients had a RHD-CE(3–7)-D hybrid gene in which RHD exons 3 through 7 are replaced with reciprocal exons from RHCE . The resulting Rh protein encodes an altered C antigen. This D-CE-D gene was also linked to an RHce allele encoding altered e antigen. These patients had anti-C and/or anti-e in their serum (i.e.-hrB). We screened healthy AA donors and found that the prevalence of the hybrid RHD-CE(3–7)-D gene in this population is 5–8%. The remaining 26 patients were homozygous for mutations in RHce and had produced anti-e, and some also had mutations in RHD and had produced anti-D. These results suggest that inheritance of a RHD-CE-D gene or altered RHce, with or without altered RHD, underlies Rh alloimmunization in SCD. The altered Rh proteins are not distinguished with current serologic typing reagents. Therefore, these patients are not truly Rh antigen matched. The development of RH genotyping platforms offers a potential solution to prevent alloimmunization by identifying SCD patients who are homozygous for variant alleles and at risk for production of alloantibodies to Rh antigens. The 5–8% of donor units with the same RH genotype could be directed to these high risk patients.
Genetic polymorphisms’ influence in outcome of metastatic renal cell cancer patients treated with VEGF-targeted agents.

4635 Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in critical signaling pathways may impact the outcome of metastatic renal cell cancer (mRCC) patients (pts) treated with VEGF targeted agents....
Cambodian Refugee Families: Impacts of Immigration-Related Stressors on Intergenerational Relationships

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to elucidate Cambodian refugees’ perceptions of immigration-related stressors and their impacts on intergenerational relations during the processes of immigration and settlement. We used narrative analysis to evoke older immigrants’ voices as they transitioned to the United States. Thirty-one Cambodian immigrants were interviewed using open-ended interview guides informed by ethnographic tenets of data collection. Participants expressed (a) changes in family structure and elder isolation and (b) intergenerational ambivalence and elder’s dependence on adult children as products of immigration-related stressors. Implications of these results for refugee and immigrant mental health research are discussed.
Micro-Foundations of Institutional Logic Shifts: Entrepreneurial Action in Response to Crises

Institutional logics shape how actors interpret and organize their environment. While institutional logics influence organizations, they are not free floating, but rather are instantiated in the pr...
Impact of nanoclay and carbon microfiber in combating the deterioration of asphalt concrete by non-chloride deicers

Abstract This preliminary laboratory research aims to explore the impact of nanoclay and carbon microfiber in combating the deterioration of asphalt concrete by non-chloride deicers. Modified boiling water test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and contact angle test were employed to investigate the effects of nanoclay and carbon microfiber on asphalt concrete in the presence of four non-chloride deicers, namely, dipotassium succinate, potassium formate, potassium propionate and potassium acetate. The results indicated that the incorporation of small amount of nanoclay in asphalt concrete produced a notably improved stripping resistance and reduced moisture susceptibility, while the addition of carbon microfiber increased moisture susceptibility. The deterioration effect of the four non-chloride deicers on asphalt mastic was discussed based on their molecule’s hydrophilic-lipophilic properties.
Strategies for the Study of Gene Expression in Fungi

The occurrence of fungal infections has steadily escalated over the last two decades. This is due in large part to the fact that those immunocompromised by either disease or therapies are particularly at risk for such infections. Concurrently, there has been increased interest in defining those genes and gene products that contribute to pathogenesis of these organisms. Not only does analysis of such genes provide insight concerning the interaction of the fungal pathogen and its host, but determination of genes required for pathogenesis can also point to possible novel antifungal drug targets.
Functionalization of Electrospun Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) Nanofiber Membranes for Selective Chemical Capture

Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber membranes were functionalized by incorporating either poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PMA) to create negative charges, or poly(hexadimethrine bromide) (PB) and chitosan (CS) to create positive charges on the fiber surface. The functionalized PVA nanofiber membranes were heat-treated at elevated temperatures to impart cross-linking and improve the water-resistance. The optimum heat-treatment temperatures for both PVA/PMA and PVA/PB/CS systems were screened by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Formation of cross-linked structure and increased crystallinity were triggered by the heat-treatment. A cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), and an anionic dye, acid red 1 (AR1), were used to represent charged moieties in solution. The surface-charged PVA nanofiber membranes were able to selectively capture counter-charged dye molecules from aqueous solutions. The capture processes obey the pseudo-secon...
Addressing the Opioid Crisis: The Importance of Choosing Translational Endpoints in Analgesic Drug Discovery

The opioid crisis has stimulated renewed interest in analgesic drug development. This effort will involve preclinical-to-clinical translational research and will benefit from a focus on endpoints that are both clinically relevant and shared across laboratory animals and humans. Measures of pain-related functional impairment and behavioral depression could serve this purpose.
Elevated Venous Thromboembolism Risk Following Colectomy for IBD Is Equal to Those for Colorectal Cancer for Ninety Days After Surgery.

BACKGROUND:The risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism is high in patients with colon cancer and IBD. Although The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons suggests posthospital prophylaxis after surgery in patients with colon cancer, there are no such recommendations for patients with IBD
Interferometry of plasma bursts in helium atmospheric-pressure plasma jets

The main objective of this work is to explore the possibility of applying an interferometry technique as an alternative tool for characterization of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ). Thus, the authors imaged plasma discharge of He gas flow in the APPJ using a Michelson interferometer and compared results with schlieren photography. Both cases showed that the plasma discharge followed the He flow in the open atmosphere; however, the plasma discharge also affected the gas flow, indicating a transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The authors believe that the implementation of this new, potentially quantitative, diagnostic tool maybe helpful for understanding plasma phenomena.The main objective of this work is to explore the possibility of applying an interferometry technique as an alternative tool for characterization of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ). Thus, the authors imaged plasma discharge of He gas flow in the APPJ using a Michelson interferometer and compared results with schlieren photography. Both cases showed that the plasma discharge followed the He flow in the open atmosphere; however, the plasma discharge also affected the gas flow, indicating a transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The authors believe that the implementation of this new, potentially quantitative, diagnostic tool maybe helpful for understanding plasma phenomena.
Annotating Event Anaphora: A Case Study.

In recent years we have resgitered a renewed interest in event detection and temporal processing of text/discourse. TimeML (Pustejovsky et al., 2003a) has shed new lights on the notion of event and developed a new methodology for its annotation. On a parallel, works on anaphora resolution have developed a reliable methodology for the annotation and pointed out the core role of this phenomenon for the improvement of NLP systems. This paper tries to put together these two lines of research by describing a case study for the creation of an annotation scheme on event anaphora. We claim that this work could have consequences for the annotation of eventualities as proposed in TimeML and on the use of the tag and on the study of anaphora and its annotation. The annotation scheme and its guidelines have been developed on the basis of a coarse grained bottom up approach. In order to do this, we have performed a small sampling annotation which has highlighted shortcomings and open issues which need to be resolved.
Clinical outcome research in complementary and alternative medicine: an overview of experimental design and analysis.

This article serves as a primer for those beginning clinical research in complementary and alternative medicine. The authors provide a basic overview of important experimental design and statistical issues, of which clinical researchers in the area of complementary and alternative medicine must be aware when attempting to demonstrate the effectiveness of particular treatment modalities. As the article suggests, science is an inferential process, and experimental investigations can vary greatly in methodological integrity. Key concepts in clinical outcome research such as internal validity, statistical conclusion validity, and the appropriate measurement and operational definitions of outcomes are discussed. New scientific approaches that are evolving because of paradigm shifts in science (e.g., chaos theory) are also reviewed. Suggestions are provided to further develop an understanding of clinical outcome research methodology.
Risk of bacterial exposure to the endoscopist's face during endoscopy.

Background and Aims Nonuniversal use of facial protection during endoscopy may place endoscopists at risk of exposure to blood and body fluids; however, the frequency of exposure is unknown. Methods A prospective 6-month study of 4 gastroenterologists using a face shield during endoscopy was undertaken. The face shield was swabbed in a standardized fashion before and at the end of the session. Controls included pre- and post-swabs of face shields placed on the (1) endoscopy suite wall, (2) remote patient intake bay wall, and (3) after deliberate contamination with a colonoscope immediately after colonoscopy. The swabs were cultured for 48 hours, and growth was reported as no growth or by number of colony-forming units (CFUs). The groups were compared for +CFU rate and CFU number. Results A total of 1100 procedures were performed in 239 endoscopy sessions. The +CFU rate in the pre-endoscopy groups (2%-4.8%, not significant) was significantly lower than the postendoscopist face shield (45.8%, P 15 CFUs as an indicator of definite exposure, the occurrence rate was 5.6 per 100 half days of endoscopy to the endoscopist’s face and 3.4 per 100 half days of endoscopy 6 feet away. Conclusions This is the first study to quantify the rate of unrecognized exposure to the endoscopist’s face to potentially infectious biologic samples during endoscopy (5.6/100 days of endoscopy). This exposure may result in transmission of infectious diseases. As such, we recommend the use of universal facial protection during GI endoscopy.
Race, Four Farms, and a City: Color Blindness and the Austin, TX, Urban Farm Debate:

Austin, TX, was the site of a three-year debate between urban farmers and their supporters and local community activists about how to rewrite an outdated farm code. There was tremendous animosity b...
Frailty assessment: from clinical to radiological tools.

Summary Frailty is a syndrome of cumulative decline across multiple physiological systems, which predisposes vulnerable adults to adverse events. Assessing vulnerable patients can potentially lead to interventions that improve surgical outcomes. Anaesthesiologists who care for older patients can identify frailty to improve preoperative risk stratification and subsequent perioperative planning. Numerous clinical tools to diagnose frailty exist, but none has emerged as the standard tool to be used in clinical practice. Radiological modalities, such as computed tomography and ultrasonography, are widely performed before surgery, and are therefore available to be used opportunistically to objectively evaluate surrogate markers of frailty. This review presents the importance of frailty assessment by anaesthesiologists; lists common clinical tools that have been applied; and proposes that utilising radiological imaging as an objective surrogate measure of frailty is a novel, expanding approach for which anaesthesiologists can significantly contribute to broad implementation.
Brexit, Trumpism and paradox: Epistemological lessons for the critical consensus:

Brexit and the election of Donald Trump can be interpreted as the culmination of a chain of events beginning with neoliberalism. This certainly appears to be the position we critical scholars have ...
Use of “Lean” Among Electronic Dance Music Party Attendees

Background/objectives Lean (a.k.a.: Sizzurp, Purple Drank) is a recreational beverage that commonly contains codeine cough syrup. Despite its popularization in the hip-hop music scene, few epidemiologic studies have examined use. This study examined prevalence and correlates of use among a population at high-risk for drug use-electronic dance music (EDM) party attendees. Methods A total of 1029 EDM party attendees (ages 18-40) were surveyed in New York City in 2018 using time-space sampling. Prevalence and correlates of use of Lean were estimated. Results An estimated 15.5% of attendees have ever used Lean, and 3.4% of attendees have used in the past year. Only an estimated 0.2% have used in the past month, but 14.2% would use in the next month if offered by a friend. Three-quarters (75.4%) of users believed their Lean ever contained codeine and 32.4% believed it always or usually contained codeine. Past-year use was strongly associated with past-year nonmedical prescription opioid use (adjusted odds ratio = 10.77, P = 0.003), but not past-year use of other illegal drugs. Attendees who are black or bisexual are at higher odds for past-year use, and those with a college degree or higher are at lower odds for past-year use. Discussion and conclusions While use of Lean is not as prevalent as use of various other drugs (eg, ecstasy) in this high-risk population, over a tenth have tried it and/or are willing to use it if offered. Scientific significance Prevention efforts need to target potential users as frequent use of beverages containing codeine products can lead to dependence. (Am J Addict 2019;28:347-352).
Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest in Young Female From Diffuse Left Anterior Descending Coronary Vasospasm

This is a case of the most severe and potentially fatal complication of coronary artery vasospasm. We report a case of a 40-year-old female presenting to the emergency department (ED) via emergency medical services with chest pain. The patient experienced a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest while in the ED. Post-defibrillation electrocardiogram showed changes suggestive of an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Cardiac catheterization showed severe left anterior descending spasm with no evidence of disease. Coronary vasospasm is a consideration in the differential causes of ventricular fibrillation and STEMI seen in the ED.
Rural-urban disparities in colorectal cancer screening: An insight from a statewide database.

69Background: The Healthy People 2020 initiative aims to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The common CRC screening options are FIT, FOBT, sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. Colonoscopy allo...
Low-cost green synthesis of zinc sponge for rechargeable, sustainable batteries

Policy makers and consumers push for sustainable batteries that rely on abundant, recyclable materials with accessible, stable supply chains. Growing concerns over lithium-ion battery safety, recyclability, and reliance on shrinking cobalt reserves prompt efforts to advance alternative chemistries. To identify promising candidates, we review supply-risk data and the abundance of battery-relevant elements in the Earth's upper continental crust. We find that of the rechargeable-battery chemistries that rely on abundant low-risk elements, zinc (Zn) batteries, namely Zn–MnO2 and Zn–air, are the lowest cost and most energy dense. Guided by this analysis, we advance Zn batteries by reporting a green synthesis that dramatically lowers the cost and boosts the performance of rechargeable Zn-sponge electrodes. We test these electrode architectures in Zn–air cells and demonstrate a 3200% increase in rechargeable areal capacity over the majority of previously reported studies.
SATB2 in Neoplasms of Lung, Pancreatobiliary, and Gastrointestinal Origins.

Objectives Special AT-rich binding protein 2 (SATB2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) has high sensitivity and specificity for colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC), but data on its expression in specific subsets of pulmonary, gastric, small bowel, and pancreatobiliary adenocarcinomas (ADCAs) are relatively limited or discordant. We assessed SATB2 expression in a large cohort of ADCAs from these sites to determine its reliability in distinguishing CRC from them. Methods SATB2 IHC was performed on 335 neoplasms, including 40 lung ADCAs, 165 pancreatobiliary neoplasms (34 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms [IPMNs], 19 pancreatic ADCAs, 112 cholangiocarcinomas [CCs]), and 35 gastric, 13 small bowel, 36 ampullary (AMP), and 46 CRC ADCAs. The cases were evaluated for positivity (defined as ≥5% nuclear staining), and an H-score was calculated based on the percentage of SATB2+ cells and staining intensity. Analysis was performed to determine the optimal H-score threshold to separate CRC and non-CRC. Results SATB2 was positive in 3% of lung, 2% of CC, 17% of gastric, 38% of small bowel, and 6% of AMP ADCAs. All pancreatic ADCA/IPMNs were negative, and 87% CRCs were positive. Conclusions SATB2 is not entirely specific for colorectal origin and can be expressed in a subset of gastrointestinal ADCAs. It is most useful in the differential of CRC vs lung and pancreatobiliary ADCAs.
Can you expect those with status to be ethical? The effects of status on trust

This research examines the trust and expectations people have for individuals with varying levels of status. Specifically, we predicted that people will have a greater amount of trust for individua...
African easterly waves in an idealized general circulation model: instability and wave packet diagnostics

Abstract. We examine the group dynamic of African easterly waves (AEWs) generated in a realistic, spatially non-homogeneous African easterly jet (AEJ) using an idealized general circulation model. Our objective is to investigate whether the limited zonal extent of the AEJ is an impediment to AEW development. We construct a series of basic states using global reanalysis fields and initialize waves via transient heating over West Africa. The dominant response is a localized, near-stationary wave packet that disperses upstream and downstream. The inclusion of a crude representation of boundary layer damping stabilizes the waves in most cases, consistent with other studies in the past. In some basic states, however, exponential growth occurs even in the presence of damping. This shows that AEWs can occasionally emerge spontaneously. The key result is that, whether triggered by an external forcing or generated internally, the wave packet can remain within the AEJ for multiple wave periods instead of being swept away. Drawing from other studies, this also suggests that even the damped waves can grow if coupled with additional sources of energy such as moist convection and dust radiative feedback. The wave packet in the localized AEJ appears to satisfy a condition for absolute instability, a form of spatial hydrodynamic instability. However, this needs to be verified more rigorously. We conclude that the limited zonal extent of the AEJ is not an impediment. Our results also suggest that the intermittent nature of AEWs is mediated, not by transitions between convective and absolute instability, but likely by external sources such as propagating equatorial wave modes.
The Natural History of Aerosolized Francisella tularensis Infection in Cynomolgus Macaques

Tularemia is a severe, zoonotic infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. Inhalation results in a rapid, severe bacterial pneumonia and sepsis, which can be lethal. Because the cynomolgus macaque is the accepted nonhuman primate model for tularemia, we conducted a natural history study of pneumonic tularemia by exposing macaques to target inhaled doses of 50, 500, or 5000 colony forming units (CFU) of F. tularensis subsp. tularensis SCHU S4. Two animals within the 50 CFU group (calculated doses of 10 and 11 CFU) survived the challenge, while the remainder succumbed to infection. Exposure of cynomolgus macaques to aerosolized SCHU S4 resulted in fever, anorexia, increased white blood cell counts, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, increased liver enzymes, alterations in electrocardiogram (ECG), and pathological changes typical of infection with F. tularensis, regardless of the challenge dose. Blood pressure dropped during the febrile phase, particularly as temperature began to drop and macaques succumbed to the disease. ECG analysis indicated that in 33% of the macaques, heart rate was not elevated during the febrile phase (Faget’s sign; pulse-temperature disassociation), which has been reported in a similar percentage of human cases. These results indicated that infection of cynomolgus macaques with aerosolized F. tularensis results in similar disease progression and outcome as seen in humans, and that cynomolgus macaques are a reliable animal model to test medical countermeasures against aerosolized F. tularensis.
Estimation and clustering with infinite rankings

This paper presents a natural extension of stagewise ranking to the the case of infinitely many items. We introduce the infinite generalized Mallows model (IGM), describe its properties and give procedures to estimate it from data. For estimation of multimodal distributions we introduce the Exponential-Blurring-Mean-Shift nonparametric clustering algorithm. The experiments highlight the properties of the new model and demonstrate that infinite models can be simple, elegant and practical.
Gross inflows gone wild : gross capital inflows, credit booms and crises

The main goal of the paper is to examine whether surges in private capital inflows lead to credit booms. The authors built a quarterly database on gross capital inflows, credit to the private sector, and other macro-financial indicators for a sample of 71 countries from 1975q1 to 2010q4. Identifying credit booms is not trivial: they use different criteria implemented in the literature. The estimates suggest that: (i) Surges in gross private capital inflows are overall good predictors of credit booms. (ii) The likelihood of credit booms is higher if the surges in foreign flows are driven by private other investment inflows and, to a lesser extent, portfolio investment inflows. (iii) Surges in gross inflows are also good predictors of credit booms that end up in a financial crisis --"bad"credit booms. This finding holds even after controlling for the appreciation of the local currency and the build-up of leverage. (iv) Bad credit booms are more likely to occur when surges are driven by other investment inflows. At best, foreign direct investment inflow-driven surges help mitigate the incidence of this type of credit boom. (v) The predictive ability of gross other investment inflows is primarily driven by bank inflows. (vi) Consistent with the literature, the analysis finds that the build-up of leverage and the real overvaluation of the currency help predict credit booms that are followed by a systemic crisis. Controlling for these factors, capital flows are still a significant predictor of credit booms.
TROPOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND COMPOSITION | Aerosols/Particles

Particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. The tropospheric aerosol is remarkably diverse in its composition, reflecting the wide range of particle sources in the atmosphere. Chemical components of tropospheric particles include inorganic materials such as sulfate, ammonium, nitrate, trace metals, and a wide array of carbonaceous compounds. Concentrations of airborne particles vary greatly over the globe, from the lowest concentrations in pristine areas to the highest levels in polluted urban centers. Atmospheric aerosols carry the chemical signature of the sources of direct particle emissions into the atmosphere as well as that of the conversion of gaseous molecules into particulate-phase species.
Examining Tuskegee: The Infamous Syphilis Study and Its Legacy

The forty-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s, has become a profound metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. Susan M. Reverby's Examining Tuskegee is a comprehensive analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis among African American men, who were told by U.S. Public Health Service doctors that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late-stage syphilis. With rigorous clarity, Reverby investigates the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives and illuminates the reasons for its continued power and resonance in our collective memory. |The forty-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which took place in and around Tuskegee, Alabama, from the 1930s through the 1970s, has become a profound metaphor for medical racism, government malfeasance, and physician arrogance. Susan M. Reverby's Examining Tuskegee is a comprehensive analysis of the notorious study of untreated syphilis among African American men, who were told by U.S. Public Health Service doctors that they were being treated, not just watched, for their late-stage syphilis. With rigorous clarity, Reverby investigates the study and its aftermath from multiple perspectives and illuminates the reasons for its continued power and resonance in our collective memory.
Interleukin-2-based therapy for metastatic renal cell cancer: the Cytokine Working Group experience, 1989-1997.

PURPOSE This article reviews long-term follow-up data from three phase II studies conducted by the Cytokine Working Group from 1989 to 1995 that evaluated various recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) -based regimens in patients with metastatic renal cell cancer. Response rates, long-term response duration, and toxicity are compared. PATIENTS AND METHODS The Cytokine Working Group studies reviewed here investigated the safety and efficacy of two high-dose intravenous rIL-2-based regimens and two moderate-dose outpatient subcutaneous rIL-2-based regimens in patients with progressive metastatic renal cell cancer. A randomized phase II study, initiated in 1989, investigated the safety and efficacy of high-dose intravenous rIL-2 alone and high-dose intravenous rIL-2 plus recombinant interferon-alpha (rIFN-alpha). A second phase II study, initiated in 1992, tested the safety and efficacy of moderate-dose subcutaneous rIL-2 plus subcutaneous rIFN-alpha in the outpatient setting. The third trial, initiated in 1995, investigated a regimen consisting of the previous subcutaneous rIL-2 plus rIFN-alpha regimen alternating with intravenous bolus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus subcutaneous rIFN-alpha. Median follow-up for these studies is 72 months, 48 months, and 24 months, respectively. RESULTS The overall response rates observed with each of these regimens were similar (17% with high-dose rIL-2 alone, 11% with high-dose rIL-2/rIFN-alpha, 17% with outpatient subcutaneous rIL-2/rIFN-alpha, and 16% with outpatient rIL-2/rIFN-alpha, plus 5-FU/rIFN-alpha). However, the high-dose rIL-2 regimen produced a 7% complete response rate, compared with 0%, 4%, and 4%, respectively, with each of the other regimens. Median response duration was also much longer with high-dose intravenous rIL-2 alone (53 months), compared with 7 months, 12 months, and 9 months, respectively, with each of the other regimens. CONCLUSION Complete response rate and response duration appear to favor the high-dose intravenous rIL-2 regimen. This will require verification in a randomized study comparing the best high-dose arm (rIL-2 alone) with the best outpatient regimen (rIL-2/IFN-alpha). The Cytokine Working Group is currently conducting such a study.
Crystal and molecular structure of the symmetrical bidentate ligand 3,3-di(1-pyrazolyl)pentane, CH3CH2C(C3H3N2)2CH2CH3

The title compound crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group C2/c with a = 14.4005(23), b = 7.0494(12), c = 11.2462(20) A, β = 101.572(13)° and Z = 4; the molecule lies on a crystallographic C2 axis. Hydrogen atoms were both located and refined.
Moral Hazard and Internal Discipline: Theory and Evidence

ABSTRACT This paper studies, both theoretically and empirically, how subordinates to CEOs can discipline the CEOs' self-serving activities. I predict that because CEOs' self-serving activities hurt...
Complexity of Approximating CSP with Balance / Hard Constraints

We study two natural extensions of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs). Balance-Max-CSP requires that in any feasible assignment each element in the domain is used an equal number of times. An instance of Hard-Max-CSP consists of soft constraints and hard constraints, and the goal is to maximize the weight of satisfied soft constraints while satisfying all the hard constraints. These two extensions contain many fundamental problems not captured by CSPs, and challenge traditional theories about CSPs in a more general framework. Max-2-SAT and Max-Horn-SAT are the only two nontrivial classes of Boolean CSPs that admit a robust satisfibiality algorithm, i.e., an algorithm that finds an assignment satisfying at least (1 ? g(?)) fraction of constraints given a (1 ? ?)-satisfiable instance, where g(?) ? 0 as ? ? 0, and g(0) = 0. We prove the inapproximability of these problems with balance or hard constraints, showing that each variant changes the nature of the problems significantly (in different ways). For instance, deciding whether an instance of 2-SAT admits a balanced assignment is NP-hard, and for Max-2-SAT with hard constraints, it is hard to find a constant-factor approximation even on (1 ? ?)-satisfiable instances (in particular, the version with hard constraints does not admit a robust satisfiability algorithm). We also study hardness results for a certain CSP over a larger domain capturing ordering constraints: we show that hard constraints rule out constant-factor approximation algorithms. All our hardness results are almost optimal -- they completely rule out algorithms with certain properties, or can be matched by simple extensions to existing algorithms.
Leibniz on Possible Worlds

Publisher Summary Logicians frequently make reference to the Leibnizian idea that a proposition is a necessary truth if and only if it is true of all possible worlds when defining logical truth in terms of interpretations or models. The same idea is usually mentioned in discussions of the semantics of modal logics. However, on further observations it becomes apparent that the concepts of “possible world” employed by modern investigators are quite different from that of Leibniz himself; and although perhaps this is all to the good, there may be some interest in considering what the effect would be if a more strictly Leibnizian approach were followed. The chapter describes certain features of the Leibnizian conceptual framework and attempts to incorporate them in the semantics of a formalized language. Specifically, the formal system discussed in the chapter is a first order monadic predicate calculus with identity and necessity and also with individual constants that do not in all cases denote. A similar system without the modal operator is considered in the chapter in an auxiliary way.
The Collision Intractability of MDC-2 in the Ideal-Cipher Model

We provide the first proof of security for MDC-2, the most well-known construction for turning an n-bit blockcipher into a 2n-bit cryptographic hash function. Our result, which is in the ideal-cipher model, shows that MDC-2, when built from a blockcipher having blocklength and keylength n, has security much better than that delivered by any hash function that has an n-bit output. When the blocklength and keylength are n= 128 bits, as with MDC-2 based on AES-128, an adversary that asks fewer than 274.9queries usually cannot find a collision.
A Design Environment for Counterflow Pipeline Synthesis

The Counterflow Pipeline (CFP) organization may be a good target for synthesis of application-specific microprocessors for embedded systems because it has a regular and simple structure. This paper describes a design environment for tailoring CFP''s to an embedded application to improve performance. Our system allows exploring the design space of all possible CFP''s for a given application to understand the impact of different design decisions on performance. We have used the environment to derive heuristics that help to find the best CFP for an application. Preliminary results using our heuristics indicate that speedup for several small graphs range from 1.3 to 2.0 over a general-purpose CFP and that the heuristics find designs that are within 10% of optimal.