cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outing the hidden curriculum.

The hidden curriculum: Even if medical students haven't heard the term, no doubt they're keenly aware of what it is--the pressure to conform, the focus on pleasing superiors (at the expense of the patient, if necessary)--in short, the unofficial rules for survival and advancement. It's a powerful undercurrent that can turn even the most self-assured and altruistic student into an obedient drone. Fifteen years ago, I awaited Todd (not his real name), my OB resident, outside the operating room. I was a third-year medical student. Though I was nervous, having never performed an abortion before, I was glad I had been assigned to assist Todd. He was the kind of doctor I aspired to be. Once, I found him sitting with a patient dying of ovarian cancer, holding her hand as she wept. During quiet times on call nights he would prop his well-worn Birkenstocks on a desk littered with charts and empty potato chip bags and talk at length with us about our patients. Most residents had neither the time nor the inclination for this. Nor did he take advantage of students in ways other residents might--having one of us check a laboring woman's cervix because he was too busy playing a computer game, or sending us to a supermarket two blocks away for snacks. The patient's feet were in stirrups, her legs spread wide. Her eyes were closed. She looked relaxed. I wasn't sure if she was awake or anesthetized. Whatever the case, it seemed inappropriate to ask. At Todd's instruction, I placed my hand on top of his. Together, we pushed a series of metal dilators into the tight cervical opening which gradually yielded, allowing Todd to ease in the suction tube. Globs of red-pink pulp swooshed into a container under the table. A wave of nausea washed through me. Most of the fetus was out, Todd explained, but we had to ensure that the uterus was empty. With a metal curette, my hand again over his, we scraped the gritty lining. Just one last thing, I remember Todd saying. He poked through the bloody remains with a metal spatula and found what he was looking for: a chunk of placenta with tiny villi, an arm with minuscule finger fronds, the skinny little skeleton with its remaining three limbs, just a few inches in size, the head lost among the gory mush. The little fetus wasn't just dead; it was torn apart. I clenched my teeth. My stomach lurched. And then it happened something I have never forgotten, even all these years later. Todd was whistling something familiar. It took a moment, and then I recognized the song: "Another One Bites the Dust. …
A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF GROG ON PRESSURE TRANSMISSION IN DRY PRESSING1

A study of the dry-pressing characteristics of several fire brick and building brick clays was made by compressing them, at high and low pressures, into large shapes with a hydraulic press The clays do not effectively transmit the pressure into the interior. The finest grained clays are morc deficient in this respect. The result is a porosity gradient as high as 15% of the interior porosity between center and surface. Such a variation may account, in part, for the defects in dry-press ware. The addition of fired grog increases the pressure transmission. Some clays require more than 50% grog and some less for maximum pressure transmission and optimum results. Fireclay shapes as much as ten inches in thickness and of substantially uniform physical properties can be formed if the proper amount of grog is used.
Phosphorylation of PPARγ via active ERK1/2 leads to its physical association with p65 and inhibition of NF‐κβ

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) are novel nuclear receptors and PPARgamma ligands have been shown to produce pro-apoptotic effects in many cancer cell types, including colon cancer. PPARgamma ligands exert their effect through PPARgamma-dependent (genomic) and PPARgamma-independent (non-genomic) mechanisms. Recent evidence suggests that PPARgamma ligands exert their pro-apoptotic effects in part by directly antagonizing the NF-kappabeta pathway as well as through activation of the MAP kinase pathway. In this report, we have demonstrated that ciglitazone, a member of the thiazoldinedione class of PPARgamma ligands induces HT-29 colon cancer cells to undergo apoptosis and prior to apoptosis, ciglitazone exposure results in a transient phosphorylation of PPARgamma. This phosphorylation of PPARgamma was mediated through the ciglitazone-induced activation of Erk1/2. PPARgamma phosphorylation affected the genomic pathway by being inhibitory to PPARgamma-DNA binding and PPRE transcriptional activity, as well as the non-genomic pathway by increasing the physical interaction of PPARgamma with p65, leading to the inhibition of NF-kappabeta. Ciglitazone induced phosphorylation of PPARgamma through the MAP kinase pathway provides a potential regulatory mechanism for PPARgamma's physical interaction with p65, leading to inhibition of NF-kappabeta and subsequent apoptosis.
Computerized texture analysis of mammographic parenchymal patterns of digitized mammograms

Rationale and Objectives Mammographic density and parenchymal patterns have been shown to be related to the risk of developing breast cancer. Thus, computerized texture analysis of breast parenchymal patterns on mammograms may be useful in assessing breast cancer risk. Materials and Methods A comparative evaluation was conducted of various computer-extracted texture features of mammographic parenchymal patterns of women with BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations and those of women at low risk of developing breast cancer. Mammograms from 172 subjects (30 women with either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation and 142 low-risk women) were analyzed. Computerized texture features were extracted from regions-of-interest to assess the mammographic parenchymal patterns in the images. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to assess the performance of these features in the task of distinguishing between the two groups of women. Results Quantitative texture analysis on digitized mammograms demonstrated that gene-mutation carriers and low-risk women have different mammographic parenchymal patterns. Gene-mutation carriers presented with parenchymal patterns that were denser, coarser, and lower in contrast than those of the low-risk group. For the gene-mutation carriers, their mammographic patterns appear to contain less high-frequency component as indicated by higher coarseness values, lower fractal dimensions, and smaller edge gradients, which yielded corresponding Az values of 0.79, 0.84, and 0.78, respectively, in the task of distinguishing between gene-mutation carriers and the low-risk group with the entire dataset. The contrast measure calculated from co-occurrence matrix method, which describes local image variation, yielded an Az value of 0.86 in distinguishing between the two groups of women. Conclusion Computerized texture analysis of mammograms provides radiographic descriptors of mammographic parenchymal patterns. The computer-extracted features may be useful for identifying women at high risk for breast cancer and for monitoring the treatment of breast cancer patients.
Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS): a biology "boot camp".

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program was designed to assess the impact of a 5-d intensive prefreshman program on success and retention of biological science majors at Louisiana State University. The 2005 pilot program combined content lectures and examinations for BIOL 1201, Introductory Biology for Science Majors, as well as learning styles assessments and informational sessions to provide the students with a preview of the requirements of biology and the pace of college. Students were tracked after their BIOS participation, and their progress was compared with a control group composed of students on the BIOS waiting list and a group of BIOL 1201 students who were identified as the academic matches to the BIOS participants (high school GPA, ACT score, and gender). The BIOS participants performed significantly better on the first and second exams, they had a higher course average, and they had a higher final grade than the control group. These students also had higher success rates (grade of “A,” “B,” or “C”) during both the fall and spring semesters and remained on track through the first semester of their sophomore year to graduate in 4 yr at a significantly higher rate than the control group.
EXPOSURE METHODOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS FOR LONG-TERM CHEMICAL CARCINOGENICITY STUDIES WITH SMALL FISH SPECIES

Testing waterborne chemical carcinogens in fish models requires accurate, reliable, and reproducible exposures. Because carcinogenesis is a chronic toxicological process and is often associated with prolonged latency periods, systems must accommodate lengthy in-life test periods in which compound concentrations and environmental conditions must be carefully maintained. Here, systems and approaches are described for continuous long-term exposures with small fish species. The exposure system employed has enclosed chambers with internal walls of water-resistant materials, sliding doors for easy access, a water bath to maintain temperature, and exterior venting for air. Timer-controlled, overhead fluorescent lights provide a controlled photoperiod with dusk and dawn. Test aquaria sit within water baths that maintain temperature in the exposure tanks. Exhaust vents in the exposure chambers maintain a slightly negative air pressure in each system. Treatment media are provided by multicompartmented water partiti...
The final frontier: how does diabetes affect the brain?

Our understanding of the impact of diabetes on organ function has been evolving since the discovery of insulin in the 1920s. At that time insulin was a miracle drug that appeared to cure diabetes, but over time it became clear that death and disability from diabetes complications involving the eyes, kidneys, peripheral nerves, heart, and vasculature could occur even with treatment. With the improvement in diabetes care over the past 20 years, fewer patients are developing the traditional diabetes complications. However, as people live long and well with the disease, it has become apparent that diabetes can alter function and structure in tissues not typically associated with complications such as the brain and bone. Alteration in brain structure and function are particularly of concern because of the impact of dementia and cognitive dysfunction on overall quality of life. From large epidemiological studies, it has been demonstrated that both vascular and Alzheimer's dementia are more common in patients with type 2 diabetes (1). Why this might be true has been difficult to define. Certainly these patients can be expected to have more risk factors such as previous cardiovascular disease, history of hypertension, and dyslipidemia than aged matched control subjects, but when these variables are controlled, the risk for …
Glutathione Metabolic Genes Coordinately Respond to Heavy Metals and Jasmonic Acid in Arabidopsis

Glutathione plays a pivotal role in protecting plants from environmental stresses, oxidative stress, xenobiotics, and some heavy metals. Arabidopsis plants treated with cadmium or copper responded by increasing transcription of the genes for glutathione synthesis, gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, as well as glutathione reductase. The response was specific for those metals whose toxicity is thought to be mitigated through phytochelatins, and other toxic and nontoxic metals did not alter mRNA levels. Feeding experiments suggested that neither oxidative stress, as results from exposure to H2O2, nor oxidized or reduced glutathione levels were responsible for activating transcription of these genes. Jasmonic acid also activated the same suite of genes, which suggests that it might be involved in the signal transduction pathway for copper and cadmium. Jasmonic acid treatment increased mRNA levels and the capacity for glutathione synthesis but did not alter the glutathione content in unstressed plants, which supports the idea that the glutathione concentration is controlled at multiple levels.
A strong converse for a collection of network source coding problems

We prove a strong converse for particular source coding problems: the Ahlswede-Korner (coded side information) problem, lossless source coding for multicast networks with side-information at the end nodes, and the Gray-Wyner problem. Source and side-information sequences are drawn i.i.d. according to a given distribution on a finite alphabet. The strong converse discussed here states that when a given rate vector R is not D-achievable, the probability of observing distortion D for any sequence of block codes at rate R must decrease exponentially to 0 as the block length grows without bound. This strong converse implies the prior strong converses for the point-to-point network, Slepian-Wolf problem, and Ahlswede-Korner (coded side information) problem.
Patterns of Social Expectations among Black and Mexican-American Children

In 2 studies, a total of 213 black and Mexican-American third- and sixth-grade children were asked to respond to 8 videotaped scenes of everyday social encounters with same-ethnic, unfamiliar peers at school. Mexican-American children reported expectations for sharing and relying on authority figures significantly more often, and apologizing, getting angry, and initiating action significantly less often than their black peers. Emotional responses decreased and socially desirable responses increased with grade for both groups. In addition, ethnic differences were greater at the sixth-grade than at the third-grade level for both groups. Girls apologized and sought help from teachers more often than boys, and social expectations varied by sex for each ethnic group. Individual children varied in the degree of similarity to their group, with some children giving responses highly typical of their group across all 8 scenes and others giving responses not typical of their group. High self-esteem was significantly correlated to being similar to one's own group.
A fiber optic no-flow monitor for intravenous infusion

Monitoring of a potentially clogged IV (intravenous) line or an empty fluid container is normally performed visually. The authors report on an automated method for monitoring of IV infusions with an infrared fiber-optic device. This device eliminates the time-consuming visual checking process and enhances the unobstructed delivery of drugs, body electrolysis and nutrients that are beneficial to patients. >
Neonatal size of low socio-economic status Black and White term births in Albany County, NYS

Birth weight has long been a focus of study by epidemiologists and human biologists, because it reflects the quality of the intrauterine environment and may be used as a predictor of future growth and development. Comparisons of Black and White neonates in the USA have consistently shown differences in birth weight. Confounding variables are a major problem in any such investigation, especially socio-economic status which is highly correlated with race in the USA. This study was distinctive in the sampling of one socio-economic stratum (low income), and the use of five anthropometric measures in addition to birth weight. The goals of this study were as follows: to determine if there were differences in body size and body composition at birth in Black and White neonates of low socio-economic status (SES), and to investigate what variables might account for any observed variability. The sample consisted of full term Black and White neonates of low SES (n = 323) born in Albany, NY (1986-1997). Birth weight, ...
A simple method of evaluating soil breakdown of 14C-pesticides under field conditions

A major fraction of any agricultural pesticide, no matter how applied, eventually finds its way to the soil, and it is in the soil that much of the ultimate decomposition takes place. Many pesticides are even applied directly to or incorporated into the soil at time of application. It is obvious, therefore, why a great deal of attention must be paid to studying the many complex interactions that occur between pesticides and the soil. Laboratory studies of pesticide decomposition in soil provide a ready source of decomposition products, and the only convenient method of trapping and identifying volatile products. If properly carried out they have considerable predictive value. Nevertheless, studies under actual field conditions substantially increase the confidence we have in the rate and route of decomposition in the real world.
Research of sale of beer

CR has the highest consumption of beer per capita a year (160 l). Home consumption is not possible to increase and so the main breweries (about 70 in the republic) associate into larger companies to come into the foreign market. The aim of the research was to show the situation in the home market. The research was done in the 10 larger shops on the base of the number of the boxes of beer exhibited in the shop. The attention was given to the offered kinds of beer, minimum, average and maximum price of beer, marks and producers of beer. Results: Number of offered kinds of beer in the shops ranged from 3 to 62. The average price of beer was from 6,99 Czech crowns to 10,80 Czech crowns per bottle. The cheapest beer was sold for 3,90 Czech crowns; the most expensive for 38,00 Czech crowns (import). The highest share had these kinds of beer: Samson (13,9 %), Gambrinus (12,6 %), Radegast (10,3 %) Budvar (10,1%).
Ultrastructure of an anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid.

A case of anaplastic spindle-cell carcinoma of the thyroid occurring in a 59- year-old Caucasian housewife is reported. Histologic and ultrastructural technics were used to examine the carcinoma. Ultrastructural studies revealed structures, “dense bodies, ” similar to those found in the cytoplasm of normal follicular epithelium and in other neoplasms arising from follicular epithelium. These “dense bodies” are not seen in fibrosarcomas or other sarcomas which may occur rarely as primary thyroid neoplasms. This study indicates that electron microscopy is useful in differentiating between anaplastic thyroid carcinomas and sarcomas occurring within the thyroid gland.
Effect of implantation of anti-LH serum into median eminence on rat pituitary and serum LH.

SummaryA specific rabbit anti-sheep LH serum (A/S) was implanted into the rat hypothalamic median eminence (ME) to investigate the mode of action of a “short” feedback of endogenous LH by neutraliz...
Influence of Nano-α-Linolenic Acid on Expression of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Viral Myocarditic Mice

Objective To investigate influence of nano-α-linolenic acid on expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in murine model with viral myocarditis (VM).Methods Eighty male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups equally:control group,model group,low and high dose intervention group.Mice in control group were inoculated introperitoneally with Eagle's solution.Every mouse in other groups was treated with 0.1 mL Coxsackie B3 virus(CVB3) intraperitoneally.Then,mice in low and high dose intervention group were treated with 60 and 180 mg/kg nano-α-linolenic acid solution for 1 week,respectively.Mice in control group and model group were treated with 9 g/L saline for 1 week.All mice were killed on day 15.The expression levels of myocardial MIF mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry.Serum MIF concentration were exa-mined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Myocardial histopathology was determined with hematoxylin and eosin stain.Results The mortality rate was 0,45%,30% and 20% in control group,model group,low and high dose intervention group,respectively.The mortality rate was significantly lower in high dose intervention group compared with model group (P0.05),but there was no difference between low dose intervention group and model group.The expression of MIF mRNA and protein and serum MIF concentration were markedly higher in model group than those in control group(Pa0.01).The expression of MIF mRNA and protein,serum MIF concentration,and myocardial histopathological scores were decreased significantly compared with model group in low and high dose intervention group(Pa0.05).Conclusions Nano-α-linolenic acid can attenuate myocardial injure and increase survival rate through suppressing excessive expression of MIF.
Racial disparity reform: racial inequality and policy responses in US national politics

AbstractPersistent racial inequality in the US criminal justice system is a significant challenge for policy-makers. Although scholarship has focused on policies that created a punitive criminal justice system and reforms that scale back criminal processing, little is known about policies that elected officials use to address racial issues in criminal justice. This article introduces the framework of ‘racial disparity reform.’ Four types of criminal justice policies that seek to redress politically defined problems of racial inequality are presented. This framework is then used to explain race-targeted criminal justice reforms in US national politics. A qualitative analysis tests how distinct visions of racial inequality prompted US presidents and Congress to initiate a study of race in capital punishment, a ban on racial profiling, and a system-wide corrective to minority overrepresentation in youth confinement. Lessons are drawn concerning the potential of policy-making in forging a more racially egalit...
266 INFLAMMATORY PSEUDOTUMOR OF THE LIVER

Background Inflammatory pseudotumor is a rare, benign entity characterized histologically as a well-circumscribed, reactive fibroinflammatory process. The liver is a common site of involvement. While its precise etiology is unknown, it is postulated to arise as the result of an exaggerated reaction to a prior intraabdominal infectious or inflammatory process. Clinical and imaging features are non-specific, with the diagnosis often made by exclusion only after extensive laboratory and surgical evaluations. Nonetheless, this entity should be considered in the workup of hepatic masses to avoid unnecessarily aggressive intervention since most cases resolve spontaneously or with conservative management. Methods An 18 year-old male presented to our institution with a 2-week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, fever, chills, and anorexia. Physical examination revealed hepatomegaly and laboratory evaluation was remarkable only for a mild leukocytosis. The patient had a history of perforated appendicitis at age 12 that was complicated by repeated bowel obstructions in the following months requiring multiple surgical interventions. Results Initial computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a heterogeneous, enhancing 8×6×10 cm mass in the right lobe of the liver. During hospitalization, the patient received multiple antimicrobial therapies and underwent two percutaneous CT-guided biopsies. Histological specimens revealed normal hepatocytes and all tumor marker and microbial assays were negative both at initial presentation and upon subsequent evaluations. The patient was discharged home three weeks later following cessation of all medical treatment. Repeat CT imaging demonstrated complete resolution of the mass eleven months later. Conclusion As a rare entity with non-specific clinical and imaging features, inflammatory pseudotumor often poses a diagnostic dilemma. Consideration of this entity in the differential diagnosis and workup of liver lesions, especially in patients with a history of intraabdominal infectious or inflammatory disease, may aid in proper diagnosis and obviate the need for unnecessary surgical intervention.
Laser-Assisted Detection of Metal Nanoparticles in Liquid He-II

The formation of gas bubbles surrounding laser heated copper nanoparticles in superfluid helium at 1.7 K is observed. Because of the effective light capture by these plasmonic particles and the subsequent heat transfer into the liquid, such bubbles grow within 3 μs to tens of micrometers in size. The Schlieren imaging technique is used to determine the spatial distribution of the nanoparticles in the liquid, and the gas bubble radii are related to the parent nanoparticle size. The presented liquid-phase particle size analysis is validated against atomic force microscopy measurements of nanoparticles deposited from the liquid onto a solid substrate.
Abstract 958: MiR-196b is an epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor for lung cancer

Silencing of microRNAs by promoter hypermethylation could play a significant role in lung cancer initiation and progression. A pre-malignancy model using carcinogen transformed human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) treated with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2’deoxycytidine followed by next-generation sequencing identified miR-196b and miR-34c-5p as being epigenetically regulated. Bisulfite sequencing confirmed silencing via dense promoter hypermethylation that was commonly replicated in malignant cell lines and primary tumors. Functional studies of miR-196b revealed that it was epigenetically silenced by chromatin modification and DNA methylation during transformation of HBECs and re-expression modulated genes involved in cell cycle regulation. Stable re-expression led to a cell cycle arrest mediated in part through transcriptional regulation of the FOS oncogene that was replicated in vivo by a profound reduction in growth of tumor xenografts. Luciferase assays demonstrated that forced expression of miR-196b inhibits FOS promoter and AP-1 reporter activity. A case-control study showed that methylation of miR-196b in sputum was strongly associated with lung cancer (OR = 4.7, p Citation Format: Carmen S. Tellez, Daniel E. Juri, Kieu Do, Maria A. Picchi, Teresa Wang, Gang Liu, Avrum Spira, Steven A. Belinsky. MiR-196b is an epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor for lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 958.
Phenotypic characterization and comparative transcriptomics of evolved Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with improved tolerance to lignocellulosic derived inhibitors

Lignocellulosic biomass continues to be investigated as a viable source for bioethanol production. However, the pretreatment process generates inhibitory compounds that impair the growth and fermentation performance of microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pinewood specifically has been shown to be challenging in obtaining industrially relevant ethanol titers. An industrial S. cerevisiae strain was subjected to directed evolution and adaptation in pretreated pine biomass and resultant strains, GHP1 and GHP4, exhibited improved growth and fermentative ability on pretreated pine in the presence of related inhibitory compounds. A comparative transcriptomic approach was applied to identify and characterize differences in phenotypic stability of evolved strains. Evolved strains displayed different fermentative capabilities with pretreated pine that appear to be influenced by the addition or absence of 13 inhibitory compounds during pre-culturing. GHP4 performance was consistent independent of culturing conditions, while GHP1 performance was dependent on culturing with inhibitors. Comparative transcriptomics revealed 52 genes potentially associated with stress responses to multiple inhibitors simultaneously. Fluorescence microscopy revealed improved cellular integrity of both strains with mitochondria exhibiting resistance to the damaging effects of inhibitors in contrast to the parent. Multiple potentially novel genetic targets have been discovered for understanding stress tolerance through the characterization of our evolved strains. This study specifically examines the synergistic effects of multiple inhibitors and identified targets will guide future studies in remediating effects of inhibitors and further development of robust yeast strains for multiple industrial applications.
COOL: A Model-Driven and Automated System for Guided and Verifiable Cloud Solution Design

In this paper, we present COOL (ClOud sOlution design tooL), which is a model-driven cloud solution design tool for automatic solution generation, and solution verification. It offers a guided solutioning and customization method starting from complex client business and IT requirements, and enables verification of solution correctness by leveraging constraint satisfaction solvers.
Carpometacarpal joint injuries of the fingers

Injuries to the carpometacarpal joints are uncommon and are sometimes overlooked on initial radiographs. Their recognition depends on a careful physical and radiographic examination that may require trispiral tomograms and CT scans. Most injuries can be treated successfully by closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of the joint(s) using Kirschner wires. Chronic joint injuries can also be effectively treated, and if surgery is required, an arthrodesis will restore stability and eliminate discomfort.
The Focal Point Theory of Expressive Law: A Contextualized Test

In this experiment, we extend to a legal and social context our earlier findings that non-binding third party expression can create a focal point around which people tend to coordinate in a mixed motive coordination game. Despite the fact that there were no sanctions for ignoring the law in the dispute in which participants imagined themselves, the presence of law made it more likely that they would defer to the other party's claim, compared to when law was absent. This effect, however, emerged only in a game with multiple equilibria, in which law could function to provide a focal point. These effects were strongest with participants who gave consequentialist reasons for their decision, and disappeared for participants who reported being concerned with fairness and desert. The results lend further support for our claim that law shapes compliance not only through sanctions and legitimacy, but also by creating a focal point around which people coordinate their behavior.
Fast simulation of mitral annuloplasty for surgical planning

Mitral valve repair is a complex procedure that requires the ability to predict closed valve shape through the examination of an unpressurized, flaccid valve. These procedures typically include the remodeling of the mitral annulus through the insertion of an annuloplasty ring. While simulations could facilitate the planning of the procedure, traditional finite-element models of mitral annuloplasty are too slow to be clinically feasible and have never been validated in tissue. This work presents a fast method for simulating valve closure post-annuloplasty using a mass-spring tissue model and subject-specific valve geometry. Closed valve shape is predicted in less than one second. The results are validated by implanting an annuloplasty ring in an excised porcine heart and comparing simulated to imaged results. Results indicate that not only can mitral annuloplasty be simulated quickly, but also with sub-millimeter accuracy.
Sleep Pathology in the Elderly

Sleep problems are reported by over 50% of individuals aged 65 and older. While disorders such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia are more prevalent in the elderly, comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions and the medication used to treat these conditions also disrupt sleep. Furthermore, the consequences of sleep disruption, such as daytime sleepiness, impairment in cognitive function, and increased falls, may have a greater impact on quality of life, morbidity, and mortality and therefore require thorough investigation and treatment.
On the formation and the isomer specific detection of methylacetylene (CH3CCH), propene (CH3CHCH2), cyclopropane (c-C3H6), vinylacetylene (CH2CHCCH), and 1,3-butadiene (CH2CHCHCH2) from interstellar methane ice analogues

Pure methane (CH4) ices processed by energetic electrons under ultra-high vacuum conditions to simulate secondary electrons formed via galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) penetrating interstellar ice mantles have been shown to produce an array of complex hydrocarbons with the general formulae: CnH2n+2 (n = 4-8), CnH2n (n = 3-9), CnH2n-2 (n = 3-9), CnH2n-4 (n = 4-9), and CnH2n-6 (n = 6-7). By monitoring the in situ chemical evolution of the ice combined with temperature programmed desorption (TPD) studies and tunable single photon ionization coupled to a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer, specific isomers of C3H4, C3H6, C4H4, and C4H6 were probed. These experiments confirmed the synthesis of methylacetylene (CH3CCH), propene (CH3CHCH2), cyclopropane (c-C3H6), vinylacetylene (CH2CHCCH), 1-butyne (HCCC2H5), 2-butyne (CH3CCCH3), 1,2-butadiene (H2CCCH(CH3)), and 1,3-butadiene (CH2CHCHCH2) with yields of 2.17 ± 0.95 × 10-4, 3.7 ± 1.5 × 10-3, 1.23 ± 0.77 × 10-4, 1.28 ± 0.65 × 10-4, 4.01 ± 1.98 × 10-5, 1.97 ± 0.98 × 10-4, 1.90 ± 0.84 × 10-5, and 1.41 ± 0.72 × 10-4 molecules eV-1, respectively. Mechanistic studies exploring the formation routes of methylacetylene, propene, and vinylacetylene were also conducted, and revealed the additional formation of the 1,2,3-butatriene isomer. Several of the above isomers, methylacetylene, propene, vinylacetylene, and 1,3-butadiene, have repeatedly been shown to be important precursors in the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but until now their interstellar synthesis has remained elusive.
Real World Use of Hypertonic Saline in Refractory Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: A U.S. Center's Experience

Objective To investigate real-world safety and potential therapeutic effect of hypertonic saline solution (HSS) for the management of refractory acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Methods Electronic medical records at a large urban academic hospital were queried for patients who were admitted with ADHF and received HSS. HSS was administered as 150cc of 3% hypertonic saline given concordantly with high dose loop diuretics. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant changes in collected variables over time as well as predictors of improved fluid loss and renal function. Results A total of 58 HSS administration episodes were identified across 40 patients. On average, patients receiving HSS had high disease severity with sodium 131 mmol/L (IQR 125-134), creatinine 1.82 mg/dL (IQR 1.48 - 2.83), and BUN 63.5 mg/dL (IQR 40 - 83) prior to HSS administration. Median IV furosemide equivalents were 400mg/24 hours (IQR 190 - 800), 41% were receiving supplemental oxygen, and 64% were receiving inotropes/vasopressors. At the time of data collection 23 patients (57.5%) were deceased or discharged to hospice. All doses were 150mL of 3% HSS given as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes, and patients received a median of 3 doses (IQR 2 - 7) during a treatment episode. Prior to HSS administration, serum sodium, chloride, and creatinine concentrations were deteriorating, but improved after HSS administration (p Figure , panel A & B). Serum sodium increased by 2 mmol/L (IQR 0.5 -3.5) at 24 hours after HSS. Both net fluid output and weight significantly improved post-HSS ( Figure , panel C & D). Inverse association was found between pre-HSS serum chloride (OR 0.37 per 10-unit change; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.96; p = 0.041) and BUN (OR 0.74 per 10-unit change; 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.96; p = 0.024) and a positive treatment response (defined as increase in pre- to post-HSS net fluid output >2L in 24 hours). Serum sodium concentration was not predictive of treatment response, and no tested factors predicted the improvement of creatinine after HSS. There was no significant change in respiratory status observed in the pre-HSS versus post-HSS periods. Conclusion In a cohort of severely ill refractory ADHF patients, there were no adverse electrolyte or respiratory safety signals associated with HSS administration. Furthermore, HSS was associated with increased fluid and weight loss, as well as improvement in kidney function. These findings suggest additional rigorous study of HSS in the setting of ADHF is warranted.
A motion-triggered stereo camera for 3D experience capture: demo abstract

This demo is an implementation of our motion-triggered camera system that captures, processes, stores, and transmits 3D visual information of a real-world environment using a low-cost camera-based sensor system that is constrained by its limited processing capability, storage, and battery life. This system can be used in applications such as capturing and sharing 3D content in the social media, training people in different professions, and post-facto analysis of an event. This system uses off-the-shelf hardware and standard computer vision algorithms. Its novelty lies in the ability to optimally control camera data acquisition and processing stages to guarantee the desired quality of captured information and battery life. The design of the controller is based on extensive measurements and modeling of the relationships between the linear and angular motion of a camera and the quality of generated 3D point clouds as well as the battery life of the system. To achieve this, we 1) devise a new metric to quantify the quality of generated 3D point clouds, 2) formulate an optimization problem to find an optimal trigger point for the camera system and prolongs its battery life while maximizing the quality of captured 3D environment, and 3) make the model adaptive so that the system evolves and its performance improves over time.
Geographic Polarization in Historical Perspective

This chapter provides a focused analysis of the “sorting” thesis presented by Bill Bishop in his book The Big Sort. Published in 2008, the book argues that education and economic prosperity have allowed individuals to move to communities that match their tastes and lifestyles. While not explicitly driven by desires for partisan homogeneity, the practical consequence of these trends is increasing Democratic and Republican geographic enclaves. Recent research does confirm that geographic polarization has increased in recent decades, although many scholars point to other factors besides migration as the primary cause. Neither Bishop nor this recent research, however, considers the partisan landscape prior to WWII. We take Bishop’s concept of “landslide” partisan counties and examine partisan voting patterns since 1828. We do find that the country has grown more “sorted” since 1976 (Bishop’s baseline year for analysis); we also find that education is increasingly correlated with county-level voting patterns—a key expectation of Bishop’s argument. However, we also show that the percentage of the voting public living in heavily or “landslide” partisan counties in the twenty-first century is well within a normal historical range. This context is vital to assessing the novelty of, or normative concern for, our modern political landscape.
A 42/84-GHz multi-ring rotary traveling-wave oscillator design in 0.13-µm BiCMOS

A multi-ring rotary traveling-wave oscillator (RTWO) is presented. The oscillation frequency of the main RTWO ring is designed for 42-GHz with 2-GHz tunability. Multi-phase signals generated in the main RTWO ring drive doubler circuits to generate second harmonic signals. The transformer used in each doubler circuit produces differential signals that are injected into the outer ring. Differential signals in the secondary terminals of the transformers are combined by coupled co-planar strip-line to support traveling-wave in the second ring. Bi-CMOS 0.13-µm technology is used to design and implement the multi-ring RTWO circuit. The chip area is 0.585-mm2. Total power consumption is 68-mW. SiGe HBT has been preferred over nMOS transistors to implement the gain stages, frequency doublers and the buffer circuits due to high fT and fmax of the SiGe HBTs. The measured frequency of oscillation is 42.24-GHz and 84.48-GHz with 5.6% tuning range and output power is − 20 dBm and − 45 dBm respectively. Phase noise at the main RTWO ring is − 97.5 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz.
Iterative temporal differencing with random synaptic feedback weights support error backpropagation for deep learning.

This work shows that a differentiable activation function is not necessary any more for error backpropagation. The derivative of the activation function can be replaced by an iterative temporal differencing using fixed random feedback alignment. Using fixed random synaptic feedback alignment with an iterative temporal differencing is transforming the traditional error backpropagation into a more biologically plausible approach for learning deep neural network architectures. This can be a big step toward the integration of STDP-based error backpropagation in deep learning.
Some Constraints on Contextualism About Modals

The following paradigm, most closely associated with the work of Angelika Kratzer, dominates the literature on the semantics of modals: MUST is a universal quantifier over a contextually determined set of worlds, where \(\ulcorner \)MUST \(\phi \urcorner \) is true just in case ϕ holds in each of these worlds. The quantifier is restricted via the setting of values for various contextual parameters relative to which the modal is interpreted. Notwithstanding its important virtues, I aim to show that the standard way of carrying out the paradigm overgenerates in a pretty severe way with prejacents with eventive predicates. The argument of this chapter concerns this overgeneration problem and can be broken down into two sub-claims: CLAIM 1: If context is responsible for setting the values of the parameters relative to which modals are semantically evaluated, then we can’t account for this common pattern in the interpretation of modal auxiliaries. CLAIM 2: These data provide independent support for recent revisionist approaches in linguistics, and places constraints on the way we think of context as influencing the interpretation of natural language modals.
Plasma Clozapine Levels and the Treatment of L-DOPA-Induced Psychosis in Parkinson's Disease

The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma level of clozapine and its metabolite, N-desmethylclozapine, in Parkinson's disease patients with L-DOPA-induced psychosis responsive to clozapine. The psychotic symptoms of the three patients studied responded to low doses of clozapine with plasma levels of clozapine between 4.5 and 16.1 ng/ml and N-desmethylclozapine between 2.6 and 6.1 ng/ml, much below the plasma clozapine levels usually found in clozapine-treated refractory schizophrenia or affective disorders (range 100 to 687 ng/ml). Possible mechanisms that may account for clozapine's antipsychotic action in dopaminomimetic-induced psychosis in Parkinson's disease, including serotonin2A (5-HT2A) and dopamine D4 receptor blockade, at plasma levels that would be ineffective in refractory schizophrenia, are discussed. It is suggested that 5-HT2A receptor blockade is the most likely basis for the effectiveness of clozapine in L-DOPA psychosis.
Implementing Automated Triggers to Identify Hospitalized Patients with Possible Unmet Palliative Needs: Assessing the Impact of This Systems Approach on Clinicians.

Background: Understanding patients' goals and values is important to ensure goal-concordant care; however, such discussions can be challenging. Little is known about the impact of having these discussions on hospitalists. Objective: To assess the impact on hospitalists of a system that reminds them to have serious illness conversations with their patients identified with potential unmet palliative needs. Design: Two group cohort trial. Setting/Subjects: Single academic center. Internal medicine hospitalist physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants. Measurements: Before the trial, all participants received serious illness conversation training. During the trial, hospitalists on intervention units received verbal notification when their recently admitted patients were identified using a computer algorithm as having possible unmet palliative needs. Hospitalists on the control unit received no notifications. At baseline and three months, hospitalists completed questionnaires regarding communication skill acquisition, perception of the importance of these conversations, and sense of the meaning gained from having them. Results: Both groups had similar improvements in their self-reported communication skills and experienced a small decline in how important they felt the conversations were. Neither group perceived having the discussions as being affectively harmful to patients. The intervention hospitalists, over time, reported a slight reduction in the sense of meaning they achieved from the conversations. Conclusion: Routinely informing hospitalists when their patients were identified as being at increased risk for unmet palliative needs did not increase the sense of meaning these providers achieved. It is likely the pretrial training accounted for many of the positive outcomes in communication skills observed in both arms of the trial.
Effect of delayed feeding post-hatch on expression of tight junction- and gut barrier-related genes in the small intestine of broiler chickens during neonatal development.

The gut not only plays a key role in digestion and absorption of nutrients but also forms a physical barrier and first line of defense between the host and the luminal environment. A functional gut barrier (mucus and epithelial cells with tight junctions [TJ]) is essential for optimal health and efficient production in poultry. In current broiler system, chicks are deprived of food and water up to 72 h due to uneven hatching, hatchery procedures, and transportation. Post-hatch feed delay results in lower BW, higher FCR and mortality, and delayed post-hatch gut development. Little is known about the effects of early neonatal development and delayed feeding immediately post-hatch on gut barrier function in chickens. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize the expression pattern of gut barrier-related and TJ-related genes in the small intestine of broiler chickens during early development and delay in access to feed. Newly hatched chicks received feed and water immediately after hatch or were subjected to 48 h delayed access to feed to mimic commercial hatchery setting and operations. Birds were sampled (n = 6) at -48, 0, 4, 24, 48, 72, 96, 144, 192, 240, 288, and 336 h post-hatch. Jejunum and ileum were collected, cleaned of digesta, and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen or fixed in paraformaldehyde. The relative mRNA levels of gut barrier- and TJ-related protein genes were measured by quantitative PCR and analyzed by 2-way ANOVA. In both tissues, changes (P < 0.05) in gene expression pattern of gut barrier-related and TJ-related genes were detected due to delayed access to feed post-hatch and/or development. In general, expression of TJ-related genes was downregulated while mRNA levels of gut barrier-related genes were upregulated during development. Histological differences and changes in mucin staining due to age and treatment were observed. These results suggest that delayed access to feed post-hatch may affect TJ structure and/or function and therefore gut barrier function and overall health of the chicken small intestine.
Reproducing kernel Hilbert space embedding for adaptive estimation of nonlinearities in piezoelectric systems

Nonlinearities in piezoelectric systems can arise from internal factors such as nonlinear constitutive laws or external factors like realizations of boundary conditions. It can be difficult or even impossible to derive detailed models from the first principles of all the sources of nonlinearity in a system. This paper introduces adaptive estimator techniques to approximate the nonlinearities that can arise in certain classes of piezoelectric systems. Here an underlying structural assumption is that the nonlinearities can be modeled as continuous functions in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). This approach can be viewed as a data-driven method to approximate the unknown nonlinear system. This paper introduces the theory behind the adaptive estimator, discusses precise conditions that guarantee convergence of the function estimates, and studies the effectiveness of this approach numerically for a class of nonlinear piezoelectric composite beams.