cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metamaterial waveguide with loss compensation

This paper presents a silicon-based waveguide structure employing split ring resonators (SRRs) and distributed loss compensation mechanism suitable for fabrication. Higher phase constant is obtained by periodically loading waveguide (WG) with SRRs in sub-wavelength dimensions at the cost of extra large amount of losses. To relieve the losses problem, a circuitry is introduced in each SRR to compensate the loss while retaining the high phase constant achieved around the resonant frequency. This proposed waveguide with SRRs whose losses are compensated shows higher phase constant, lower attenuation constant and additional tunability compared to common waveguide.
Paradoxes and Challenges for China's Forests in the Reform Era

China's relatively recent dramatic increase in forest area has been hailed domestically and globally as one of the world's few environmental success stories, but significant problems remain in China's reforestation efforts. We describe the challenges that China still faces if it is to meet its laudable – but sometimes contradictory – goals for its forest sector: improving rural livelihoods, sustaining and restoring ecosystem services, and increasing output of the forest product-dependent manufacturing and construction sectors. We do so while pointing out the unintended consequences of implementing these policy goals: overstatement of the quantity and quality of the forest recovery, domestic human and ecological costs of the reforestation, and externalization of China's continually growing demand for timber and forest products in the form of increased imports from vulnerable forests in other parts of the world.
β-Carotene Isomers in Human Serum, Breast Milk and Buccal Mucosa Cells after Continuous Oral Doses of All-Trans and 9-Cis β-Carotene

The concentrations of all-trans beta-carotene (tBC) and 9-cis beta-carotene (9cBC) isomers in serum, breast milk and buccal mucosa cells were determined after continuous oral doses as a simple, non-invasive method to determine whether differences in tissue uptake are important determinants of serum responses. Twelve healthy lactating women were recruited for a nonresidential study. On d 1, blood samples were obtained from fasting subjects for baseline concentrations of beta-carotene isomers. Over a 1-wk period, subjects were given either seven doses of a placebo (n = 4) or seven doses of naturally occurring BC (n = 8) derived from Dunaliella bardawil (64 mg tBC, 69 mg 9cBC). Subjects were instructed to consume a single beta-carotene dose along with a meal containing adequate fat each day for 1 wk. On d 2, 3, 5 and 8, blood samples and breast milk were collected from fasting subjects. On d 1 and 8, buccal mucosa cells were collected. Samples were analyzed for carotenoids by HPLC. In the experimental group, the mean serum concentration of tBC significantly increased to seven times the baseline level by the end of the supplementation period (P < 0.0001). The serum concentration of 9cBC significantly increased to three times the baseline level by the end of the supplementation period (P < 0.0001). The changes in milk and buccal mucosa cells levels of tBC and 9cBC followed a pattern similar to that for serum, showing significant increases at the end of the supplementation period. In the control group, the serum, milk and buccal mucosa cell concentrations of BC isomers did not change. This study confirms the previously reported differences in the serum response curves of tBC and 9cBC and provides evidence that there is no difference in tissue uptake of tBC and 9cBC.
Evidence of Surface Connectivity for Texas Gulf Coast Depressional Wetlands

Depressional wetlands are distributed throughout the United States and provide many essential ecosystem services. It is important, from both an ecological and a regulatory perspective, to understand the surface water pathways that connect such wetlands to each other and to surrounding water bodies. For many of these wetlands systems, the amount of surface water discharged is poorly quantified. In this paper we report on a 45-month study quantifying the surface discharge characteristics of a wetland on the Texas Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain. The results of this study indicate that surface runoff, although intermittent, occurred regularly and accounted for more than 17% of watershed precipitation over the 45 months, with annual runoff ranging from 0% to 27%. Runoff typically occurred in precipitation-driven pulses and coincided with increased runoff in adjacent waterways. The detailed results of this study and similar observations from other locations run contrary to the widespread perception that depressional wetlands on the Texas Gulf Coast are hydrologically isolated—which calls into question the regulatory policies governing large tracts of coastal plain wetlands (at least 400,000 ha in Texas alone).
The Glutamate Transport Inhibitor L‐trans‐pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylate Indirectly Evokes NMDA Receptor Mediated Neurotoxicity in Rat Cortical Cultures

Because of the well-documented importance of glutamate uptake in protecting neurons against glutamate toxicity, we were interested in testing the effects of L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate (PDC) on rat cortical cultures. This compound is a substrate for glutamate transporters and is a potent glutamate transport inhibitor that does not interact significantly with glutamate receptors. Using a 30 min exposure, and assessing neuronal survival after 20-24 h, PDC was neurotoxic in conventional astrocyte-rich cortical cultures, with an EC50 in these cultures of 320 +/- 157 microM. In astrocyte-poor cultures, an EC50 for PDC of 50 +/- 5 microM was determined. The neurotoxicity of PDC in both astrocyte-rich and astrocyte-poor cultures was blocked by the NMDA antagonist MK-801, but not by the non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). We tested the possibility that the neurotoxicity of PDC might be due to release of excitatory amino acids using several approaches. After pre-loading cells with the non-metabolizable analogue of glutamate, [3H]-D-aspartate, first we demonstrated that PDC caused significant efflux of [3H]-D-aspartate. This effect of PDC was dependent upon extracellular sodium. In contrast with glutamate neurotoxicity, PDC neurotoxicity was inhibited by removal of extracellular sodium. In the presence of 1 mM PDC, sodium caused neurotoxicity with an EC50 of 18 +/- 7.6 mM. Tetrodotoxin had no effect on either PDC neurotoxicity or on PDC-evoked [3H]-D-aspartate release. PDC-evoked release of [3H]-D-aspartate was demonstrable in astrocyte cultures with no neurons present. PDC also evoked release of endogenous glutamate. Finally, the neurotoxicity of PDC was blocked by coincubation with glutamate-pyruvate transaminase plus pyruvate to degrade extracellular glutamate. These results demonstrate the neurotoxicity of PDC, and suggest that the mechanism of this toxicity is the glutamate transporter-dependent accumulation of glutamate in the extracellular space.
Feelings and ethics education: the film dear scientists.

There is an increasing body of evidence that not only cognition but also emotions shape moral judgment. The conventional teaching of responsible conduct of research, however, does not target emotions; its emphasis is on rational analysis. Here I present a new approach, ‘the feelings method,’ for incorporating emotions into science ethics education. This method is embodied in Dear Scientists, an innovative film that combines humanities with arts and works at the subconscious level, delivering an intense mix of music and images, contrasted by calm narration. Dear Scientists has struck a chord across the science, humanities, and arts communities—a promising sign.
Transformation and Sustainability in Agriculture: Connecting Practice with Social Theory

Transformation and sustainability in agriculture: Connecting practice with social theory, edited by Sietze Vellema. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Netherlands, paperback, $70.00, 167 pp., ISBN 978...
Hair Cortisol Analysis: A Promising Biomarker of HPA Activation in Older Adults

Prolonged stress is a potentially harmful and often undetected risk factor for chronic illness in older adults. Cortisol, one indicator of the body's hormonal responses to stress, is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and is commonly measured in saliva, urine, or blood samples. Cortisol possesses a diurnal pattern and thus collection timing is critical. Hair cortisol is a proxy measure to the total retrospective activity of the HPA axis over the preceding months, much like hemoglobin A1c is a proxy measure of glucose control over the past 3 months. The aim of this review is to examine a novel biomarker, hair cortisol, as a practical measure of long-term retrospective cortisol activity associated with chronic stress in older adults. Hair cortisol analysis advances the science of aging by better characterizing chronic stress as a risk factor for chronic illness progression and as a biomarker of the effectiveness of stress reduction interventions.
Corrosion Of Mild Steel In High CO2 Environment: Effect Of The Feco3 Layer

In the oil and gas industry, transportation of the hydrocarbons may involve high concentrations of CO2 and significant amounts of liquid water which will provide the electrolyte for the corrosion of mild steel to take place. The consequent damage can be in the form of general corrosion or localized – pitting attack. However at these conditions, an iron carbonate (FeCO3) layer may form which can provide some level of protection. The current works undertakes a study of the corrosion behavior of mild steel in high partial pressure CO2 system, which covers all three states of CO2: gas, liquid and supercritical. The transient behaviors of the CO2 corrosion process is revealed, with corrosion rates changing from extreme initial values to very low corrosion rates due to a FeCO3 layer forming.
Automated annotation for visual recognition of construction resources using synthetic images

Abstract The recognition of construction equipment is always necessary and important to monitor the progress and the safety of a construction project. Recently, the potentials of computer vision (CV) techniques have been investigated to facilitate the current equipment recognition method. However, the process of manually collecting and annotating a large image dataset of different equipment is one of the most time-consuming tasks that may delay the application of the CV techniques for construction equipment recognition. Moreover, collecting effective negative samples brings more difficulties for training the object detectors. This research aims to introduce an automated method for creating and annotating synthetic images of construction equipment while significantly reducing the required time. The synthetic images of the equipment are created from the three-dimensional (3D) models of construction machines combined with various background images taken from construction sites. The location of the equipment in the images is known since that equipment is the only object over the single-color background. This location can be extracted by applying segmentation techniques and then used for the annotation purpose. Furthermore, an automated negative image sampler is introduced in this paper to automatically generate many negative samples with different sizes out of one general image of a construction site in a way that the samples do not include the target object. The test results show that the proposed method is able to reduce the required time for annotating the images in comparison with traditional annotation methods while improving the detection accuracy.
Stable isotope analysis of serial samples of third molars as insight into inter- and intra-individual variation in ancient diet

Abstract Identification and analysis of faunal and botanical remains provide important insight into paleodiet, but tend to average dietary behaviors over many individuals and large windows of time. Stable isotope analyses of human bone collagen and apatite, while less specific regarding diet, nicely complement faunal and macrobotanical analyses by giving glimpses into the diets of individuals, but still time-average diet over large windows (ca. 5–20 years). Recent advances in micro-sectioning of teeth provide the opportunity to examine intra-individual changes in diet over small windows of time, as small as 1 year or less. We use stable isotope data from human third molar dentin as a window into examining intra-individual variation in diet at a hunter-gatherer archeological site in Central California (CA-SOL-11). Data show significant dietary variation between individuals, suggesting there were many ways that individuals met basic dietary needs at the site. Data also show that some individuals significantly altered their diet in the course of their lives, with pulses of high brackish-water exploitation lasting between 1 and 4 years. We suggest one of three scenarios to explain these fluctuations: that brackish water foods served as fallback resources, that some individuals shifted their place of residence, or that changing trade relations may have caused fluctuations in consumption of brackish-water foods.
Gates, Gaps, and Intergenerational Mobility: The Importance of an Even Start

This chapter focuses on how intergenerational mobility is affected by children’s earliest life experiences from conception through preschool. These experiences are important because of their effects on outcomes later in life. One consequence is that intervening early is the most cost-effective way to put a child on course to pass through the gates that determine adult success and thereby reduce differences in mobility among children born in different circumstances. Using a life-cycle model, we examine the evidence on trends in factors that affect child development. The evidence we assess leads to the conclusion that opportunity and mobility are declining for lower and even middle class children as changes in family life, parenting practices, economic inequality, unresponsive social institutions, and increasingly economically homogeneous neighborhoods all point to a serious decline in the factors that are associated with greater mobility. We conclude that the decline in opportunity and mobility for current generations of American children is likely the biggest negative effect of the continuing U.S. inequality boom in income, wealth, and consumption. The paper ends by outlining a series of policies that would help restore opportunity in America by intervening early in the life course.
To be or not to be Trusted: The Influence of Team and Dyadic Demographic Dissimilarity on Dyadic Trust Across Boundaries

This article explores trust and the demographic heterogeneity of a boundary spanner's interorganizational team of counterparts. We view the team as a social context that influences the trust in boundary spanners' dyadic relationships with individual counterparts by influencing the relational resources available to the boundary spanners for successfully accomplishing interdependent tasks. Using a sample of 185 senior boundary spanners from the consulting industry, we found that age dissimilarity at the team level had a negative effect on a boundary spanner's experience of trust within teambased dyads - even when a dyadic counterpart was demographically similar to the boundary spanner. Effects for gender heterogeneity were complex and asymmetric.
Indeterminate Colitis/Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unclassified (IBD-U)

The majority of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are diagnosed with either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) on the basis of established clinical, endoscopic, histologic, and radiologic criteria. However, in 5–23 % of patients with chronic colitis, a definitive diagnosis of UC or CD cannot be established because the initial macroscopic appearance (either during ileocolonoscopy or following colectomy) and histologic features overlap between UC and CD. While most of these patients eventually evolve into patterns consistent with UC or CD, approximately 20–60 % retain the diagnosis of indeterminate colitis (IC) over periods as long as 5–10 years post diagnosis. This latter observation suggests that IC may constitute a separate category within the spectrum of IBD. This chapter reviews the histologic and clinical features of IC in pediatric patients and contains updated information explaining why some patients continue to be diagnosed with IC (new proposed terminology of IBD-unclassified (IBD-U).For the present, IC and IBD-U refer to chronic colitis due to idiopathic IBD for which the features of CD and UC are absent. It has been suggested that the term IC should be the preferred term after histologic evaluation of the resected colon and IBD-U used after review of biopsy specimens.
Survey of vectors of mosquito-borne diseases in Hexi Corridor of Gansu province, China

Objective To investigate the distribution of vectors of mosquito- borne diseases in the Hexi Corridor of Gansuprovince, China and to further confirm the Hexi Corridor as the area free of Japanese encephalitis(JE) and other mosquito-bornediseases.MethodsThe light-trap method and labor hour method were used to capture mosquitoes. In the light-trap method, thesuction- type mosquito lamp(Kung Fu Xiaoshuai) was hung 0.8-1.5 m above the ground at each investigation point, and themosquito lamp worked for 12 hour each time. In the labor hour method, the hand-held electric mosquito trap or mouth suction-type mosquito trap was used to capture mosquitoes in the human house, residential passageway, pigsty, and cowshed for 30-40min.ResultsA total of 23 584 mosquitoes were collected, which, as preliminarily identified, belonged to 18 species and 4genera. Most of the captured mosquitoes were from animal houses, accounting for 76.39%, followed by farmer's households,accounting for 14.23%, and the last one was residential area, from which 4.49% of mosquitoes were captured. Culex pipiens pallens and Aedes vexans were the dominant species, which accounted for 55.87% and 23.04%, respectively, of all mosquitoes andwere distributed almost throughout the 5 cities in Hexi Corridor area. Culex tritaeniorhynchus, the main vector of JE, was notcaptured, and JE virus was not detected. However, mosquito-borne flavivirus and Liaoning virus were first found in this area, witha relatively high detection rate.ConclusionVarious species of mosquitoes are widely distributed in the Hexi Corridor, and themosquito population density is relatively in raprian areas. Cleanup of mosquito breeding sources should be strengthened, and theresearch on mosquito-borne viruses in the Hexi Corridor cannot be neglected.
Structure of the human lactate dehydrogenase B gene.

Abstract Human genomic clones containing parts of the lactate dehydrogenase B (LDH-B) gene (approx. 25 kb in length) were isolated and characterized. The protein-coding sequence of human LDH-B gene is interrupted by six introns at codons nos. 42-43, 82, 140, 198, 237 and 278-279, and the positions of these introns are homologous to those of LDH-A genes from man and mouse. The 5' non-coding region of human LDH-B gene is interrupted by an intron six nucleotide residues upstream of the ATG translation-initiation site, whereas those of human and mouse LDH-A genes are interrupted at 24 nucleotide residues 5' to the ATG initiation codon. As is the case of LDH-A genes from man and mouse, there is no intron in the 3' non-coding region of human LDH-B gene.
Supergravity background of the λ-deformed AdS3 × S3 supercoset

Abstract We construct the solution of type IIB supergravity describing the integrable λ-deformation of the AdS 3 × S 3 supercoset. While the geometry corresponding to the deformation of the bosonic coset has been found in the past, our background is more natural for studying superstrings, and several interesting features distinguish our solution from its bosonic counterpart. We also report progress towards constructing the λ-deformation of the AdS 5 × S 5 supercoset.
Hip Strength Recovery With Direct Anterior and Posterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty: Are There Any Differences?

INTRODUCTION Cadaveric studies have reported damage to the direct head of rectus femoris and tensor fascia lata muscles with direct anterior approach(DAA) and to the abductors, external rotators with posterior approach(PA). The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate differences in hip muscle strength recovery between DAA and posterior approach (PA) THA. METHODS Patients with unilateral hip osteoarthritis undergoing THA at a single institution from January 2011 to October 2011 were enrolled. All DAA THA9s were performed by one surgeon, and all PA THA9s were performed by another surgeon with similar design of components, pain management and rehabilitation protocols. Hip muscle strength was measured with a handheld dynamometer in all planes by a single observer preoperatively, at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Functional recovery was assessed with the motor component of Functional Independence Measure, UCLA activity score, Harris hip score, SF-12 score. RESULTS There were 30 patients (15 per group) with similar age, sex, BMI and preoperative functional scores. There was a significant difference between groups in ER strength recovery pattern(p=0.04) with greater mean deficit in PA group from preoperative to 6 weeks(37%), 3 months (28%) and 6 months (25%); whereas DAA group demonstrated 3% mean deficit at 6 weeks, 2% mean improvement at 3 months and 10% mean improvement at 6 months from preoperative values. Flexion strength decreased in DAA group by a mean of 10% at 6 weeks(p=0.07) but improved at 3 months by a mean of 12% as compared to preoperative values. There were no differences in recovery pattern of other hip movements between groups. Functional recovery scores between groups were similar. DISCUSSION Both DAA and PA THA offer similar recovery in hip muscle strength up to 6 months with exceptions of ER strength deficit in PA group and a trend to flexion strength deficit at 6 weeks in DAA group.
CDM protection design using internal power node for cross power domain in 16nm CMOS technology

This paper presents a CDM protection design for cross-domain interface circuits using an internal cross clamp as voltage divider between the internal power supply node of analog circuits and the digital GND node. The proposed protection circuit meets high CDM current request from large packaged IC with 16nm FinFET.
Finite Rank Butler Groups

Free groups are the projectives and divisible groups are the injectives for the category of torsion-free abelian groups [Hungerford 74]. Changing the category and the class of defining homomorphisms can change the projectives and injectives. Properties of Coxeter correspondences and almost split sequences are applied to categories of finite rank Butler groups in this section.
Male social status and its predictors among Garisakang forager-horticulturalists of lowland Papua New Guinea

Abstract Social hierarchy exists in all human societies, yet the characteristics important for achieving high social status may differ cross-culturally. Studies among Western industrialized populations often use indices of socioeconomic status (SES) to determine individual social position. Conversely, studies among small-scale societies typically use locally relevant traits. Cross-cultural applicability and the relationships between these two strategies have rarely been investigated. Studies limited to industrialized societies demonstrate that low social status is associated with poor health and elevated levels of chronic stress. It remains unclear, however, if and to what extent this relationship is a recent phenomenon in industrialized Western society or a universal human characteristic that has likely been present throughout much of our recent evolutionary history. In this study, we investigate relationships between various SES and locally relevant measures of male social status, age, body-mass index (BMI), and levels of waking salivary cortisol among relatively egalitarian Garisakang forager-horticulturalists of lowland Papua New Guinea. We employ a photo-ranking method using 32 raters (16 women, 16 men) to evaluate 15 measures of social hierarchy in men (N=32). These measures target locally relevant traits considered important for male social status (e.g., sociability, hunting skills, fighting ability, and community influence). Using principal component analysis (PCA), we extracted two components labeled as Dominance-Respect and Prosociality-Skills . Models investigating predictors of social status demonstrate that age was significantly and positively related to both Dominance-Respect and Prosociality - Skills while BMI was positively related to only Dominance-Respect . Neither Dominance-Respect nor Prosociality - Skills predicted salivary cortisol levels. However, the SES measure of Income was significantly and positively related to cortisol levels, suggesting that men with higher income experience higher levels of stress. This finding may be explained by increased psychological stress accompanying market integration among the Garisakang or, alternatively, by culturally specific expectations for resource sharing and fear of conflict. These findings emphasize the usefulness of diverse social status measures in anthropological research and stress the need for broadened perspectives regarding the causes and consequences of social status among small-scale populations.
Peer Tutoring with Behaviorally Disordered Students: Social and Academic Benefits:

The efficacy of tutoring programs involving behaviorally disordered students is reviewed. In general, it is concluded that tutoring with behaviorally disordered students (a) exerts a positive effec...
Mental Health Practitioners' Professional Opinions of Etiology of Eating Disorders: A Cross-Cultural Study

Cross-cultural exploration of eating disorders has focused on comparing eating behaviors across cultures. However, studies investigating the opinions of professionals regarding various aspects of eating disorders have been limited. This study seeks to understand the professional opinions of mental health providers from Turkey and from the United States concerning the etiology of eating disorders and their conceptualizations of the disorder. A total of 128 mental health practitioners participated in the study. Of the total participants, 74 were from Turkey and 54 were from the United States; 103 participants were female and 25 were male. The results of this study show that mental health professionals from Turkey perceive the causes of eating disorders on the microsystemic level, whereas U. S. practitioners perceive the causes on the macrosystemic level. However, a common definition of eating disorders emerged from the open-ended responses of mental health practitioners from both countries. Implications for...
Erich L. Lehmann’s Biographical Work

Erich L. Lehmann received his Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1946. Although he was not the first of Jerzy Neyman’s students, he was the first of Neyman’s students to be hired by the mathematics department at Berkeley in 1947. His retirement in 1988 marked forty one years of service, all of which - except for visits to Columbia, Princeton, and Stanford - were spent in Berkeley. His professional activities did not diminish after his retirement nor did his social involvement in the department and in the broader statistical community. Having arrived in Berkeley on January 2nd, 1941, Erich spent close to 68 years in Berkeley. The family’s departure from Germany in 1933 was accompanied by very difficult circumstances. The experience of becoming a refugee had a strong impact on Erich’s future life. In Lehmann (2008), he writes: I had lost my country, my language, and my friends.
Pyridostigmine for Symptomatic Treatment of Weakness from Botulinum Toxin Ingestion (P1.310)

Objective: To present a case series of patients after botulinum toxin ingestion that experienced symptom improvement after treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Background: Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) has a pathologic effect on the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) by blocking acetylcholine release. While this effect is reversible, the duration of the blockade varies with toxin dose and can last from 3 to 5 months at affected terminals. Pyridostigmine is a reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used in the treatment of myasthenia gravis and has been used for the reversal of NMJ blockade. We hypothesized that pyridostigmine could reverse some of the NMJ effects induced by BoNT by prolonging the presence of acetylcholine at neuromuscular synapses. Methods: Case series. Results: We report two cases of accidental botulinum toxin ingestion that resulted in symptomatic neuromuscular weakness with mild respiratory distress. BoNT toxicity was confirmed by fecal culture and EMG/NCS. These patients were part of a larger outbreak resulting from ingestion of improperly canned potatoes. Given the history of their exposure and clinical symptoms, both patients were promptly given anti-toxin, however they continued to experience weakness that was prohibitive to return home. They were subsequently treated with pyridostigmine with significant symptom improvement. Conclusions: Prior case reports using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to reverse neuromuscular blockade caused by therapeutic BoNT injection have been favorable, and edrophonium has been used to assist in diagnosis of botulinum toxicity secondary to ingestion in isolated case reports. This is the first reported case of sustained improvement in function after toxicity from BoNT ingestion with the use of pyridostigmine. Disclosure: Dr. Zha has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lakhani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Iyadurai has nothing to disclose.
Clinical Experience with Pimavanserin for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis (P1.040)

Objective: To report the clinical experience using pimavanserin for Parkinson’s disease (PD) psychosis in a large ambulatory clinical setting. Background: Pimavanserin, a 5HT2A inverse agonist, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of PD psychosis, but there are few reports on real-world clinical experience. Here, we sought to evaluate prescribing patterns and clinical efficacy in a large convenience cohort. Design/Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review, identifying patients prescribed pimavanserin between May 2016 and August 2017. Medical records were reviewed to determine clinical presentation, concomitant medications, medication effectiveness, and side effects. Results: Pimavanserin was prescribed to 70 patients, and 59 of these began treatment. Most were male (76%), and mean age was 71 years +/− 8. Treatment indications were visual hallucinations (97%), where 39 (66%) experienced concomitant delusions, and 2 patients (3%) had delusions only. Most (n=39) had persistent symptoms despite a previous trial of one or more other antipsychotics (quetiapine=34, clozaril=9, atypical antipsychotic=6), while in 20 pimavanserin was first line therapy. Of the 39 who previously trialed an antipsychotic, 11 discontinued the antipsychotic prior to starting pimavanserin, 10 titrated gradually off of their antipsychotic (21.6 days +/− 7.4) after starting pimavanserin, and 18 continued or restarted another antipsychotic in concert with pimavanserin initiation. Most patients (n=50) tolerated pimavanserin without significant side effects. The most common side effect was worsening gait instability and weakness (n=5). Most patients reported clinical improvement (n=42). Of the 37 still taking pimavanserin, 14 are taking quetiapine concomitantly (median daily dose= 25 mg) and 1 is taking olanzapine. Of the 20 that failed pimavanserin, only 5 out of 20 achieved subsequent symptom improvement on a different antipsychotic. Conclusions: This study provides relevant clinical data on prescribing patterns of pimavanserin in a large PD cohort. Future studies will assess patient characteristics that predict medication efficacy. Disclosure: Dr. Sellers has nothing to disclose. Dr. Darby has nothing to disclose. Dr. Claassen has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Teva Neuroscience, Lundbeck, Acadia, AbbVie. Dr. Claassen has received research support from NIH/NINDS, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Huntington Disease Society of America, Vaccinex, AbbVie, Auspex Pharmaceuticals.
Control of thermal expansion in a low-density framework modification of silicon

The low-density clathrate-II modification of silicon, Si136, contains two distinct cage-like voids large enough to accommodate various types of guest atoms which influence both the host structure and its properties. Although the linear coefficient of thermal expansion of Si136 (293 K < T < 423 K) is only about 20% larger than that of the ground state α-Si (diamond structure), the coefficient of thermal expansion monotonically increases by more than 150% upon filling the framework cages with Na atoms in NaxSi136 (0 < x < 24), ranging from α = 2.6 × 10−6 K−1 (x = 0) to 6.8 × 10−6 K−1 (extrapolated to x = 24) by only varying the Na content, x. Taken together with the available heat capacity and bulk modulus data, the dramatic increase in thermal expansion can be attributed to an increase in the mode-averaged Gruneisen parameter by a factor of nearly 3 from x = 0 to x = 24. These results highlight a potential mechanism for tuning thermal expansion, whereby guest atoms are incorporated into the voids of rigid, covalently bonded inorganic frameworks to influence the lattice dynamics.The low-density clathrate-II modification of silicon, Si136, contains two distinct cage-like voids large enough to accommodate various types of guest atoms which influence both the host structure and its properties. Although the linear coefficient of thermal expansion of Si136 (293 K < T < 423 K) is only about 20% larger than that of the ground state α-Si (diamond structure), the coefficient of thermal expansion monotonically increases by more than 150% upon filling the framework cages with Na atoms in NaxSi136 (0 < x < 24), ranging from α = 2.6 × 10−6 K−1 (x = 0) to 6.8 × 10−6 K−1 (extrapolated to x = 24) by only varying the Na content, x. Taken together with the available heat capacity and bulk modulus data, the dramatic increase in thermal expansion can be attributed to an increase in the mode-averaged Gruneisen parameter by a factor of nearly 3 from x = 0 to x = 24. These results highlight a potential mechanism for tuning thermal expansion, whereby guest atoms are incorporated into the voids of rigid,...
Correctional mental health.

The ethical, medical, and system-related obstacles to providing care for prisoners with severe mental illness and the considerations that should guide decisions about isolating them. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Intracellular pH, Buffering Substances and Proteins: Imidazole Protonation and the Conservation of Protein Structure and Function

The hydrogen ion might seem an inappropriate subject for a symposium chiefly concerned with the adaptive properties of intracellular osmotic agents (osmolytes). The hydrogen ion is one of the least concentrated entities in the cell, occurring at concentrations of between 10-6 to 10-8 M. In contrast, the major types of osmolytes that have been discussed in this symposium occur at concentrations of approximately 0.1 M to greater than 2–3 M, that is, they are up to seven to eight orders of magnitude more concentrated than the hydrogen ion. One can reasonably ask, then, if there are common attributes of adaptations involving the hydrogen ion and organic osmolytes that justify including protons and osmolytes on the same program. The answer to this question is affirmative: the same fundamental protein characteristics that are shown to be conserved by the judicious selection of compatible (or counteracting) organic osmolytes (Yancey et al. 1982) are also the focus of pH regulatory strategies. Thus, apparent Michaelis’ constants (Km values), adequate levels of catalytic activity, and proper protein structure are all strongly conserved when intracellular pH values (pHi) are held within a certain narrow range. In this sense, then, the discussion of pH effects on proteins provides another strong line of evidence that the interpretations of osmolyte system adaptations discussed by other contributors to this symposium are entirely reasonable.
Electric Vehicle User Behavior Prediction Using Hybrid Kernel Density Estimator

This paper proposes a hybrid kernel density estimator (HKDE) that uses both Gaussian- and Diffusion-based KDE (GKDE and DKDE) to predict the stay duration and charging demand of electric vehicles (EVs), which are essential parameters for optimizing EV charging schedule. While DKDE has higher accuracy in general, GKDE tends to result in better estimation for users who charge the EV irregularly. Therefore, the HKDE evaluates and categorizes the charging pattern regularity of a user, and determines which KDE to use by a novelty detection method based on the user's historical data. The estimations are then applied to an optimal EV charging algorithm to minimize load variance in an EV charging infrastructure and reduce EV charging cost. Real data is used for the numerical simulation to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach for predicting EV user behavior and scheduling EV charging load.
Attributable mortality from extensively drug-resistant gram-negative infections using propensity-matched tracer antibiotic algorithms.

Background Tracer antibiotic algorithms using administrative data were investigated to estimate mortality attributable to extensively drug-resistant gram-negative infections (GNIs). Methods Among adult inpatients coded for GNIs, colistin cases and 2 comparator cohorts (non-carbapenem β-lactams or carbapenems) treated for ≥4 consecutive days, or died while receiving the antibiotic, were separately propensity score-matched (1:2). Attributable mortality was the in-hospital mortality difference among propensity-matched groups. Infection characteristics and sepsis severity influences on attributable mortality were examined. Algorithm accuracy was assessed by chart review. Results Of 232,834 GNIs between 2010 and 2013 at 79 hospitals, 1,023 per 3,350 (30.5%) colistin and 9,188 per 105,641 (8.7%) β-lactam (non-carbapenem) comparator cases died. Propensity-matched colistin and β-lactam case mortality was 29.2% and 16.6%, respectively, for an attributable mortality of 12.6% (95% confidence interval 10.8-14.4%). Attributable mortality varied from 11.0% (7.5%-14.7%) for urinary to 15.5% (12.6%-18.4%) for respiratory (P Conclusions Mortality attributable to treatment-limiting resistance during GNIs varied considerably by site, onset, and severity of infection.
Oaths and the English Reformation

Acknowledgements Notes on the text List of abbreviations Introduction 1. The theoretical basis of swearing oaths 2. Oaths, subscriptions, and the implementation of the Parliamentary reforms of 1534 3. The origin and motivation of the Henrician professions 4. Responses to the oaths of succession and supremacy 5. Oaths and the pilgrimage of grace 6. Oaths, evangelicals, and heresy prosecution Conclusion Appendix A. The oaths of a bishop-elect to the Pope Appendix B. The oaths of a bishop-elect to the King in restitution for their temporalities Appendix C. The promise of the bishops to renounce the Pope and his bulls Appendix D. The oaths of succession Appendix E. Instructions for the visitation of the friars, their profession, and the profession of other clerical institutions in 1534 Appendix F. The professions of bishops and universities in 1535 Appendix G. Post-1535 Henrician oaths of supremacy Bibliography Index.
THE EFFECTS OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AND DISPENSING ON OPIOID MORTALITY

This study documents how the changing legal status of marijuana has impacted mortality in the United States over the past two decades. We use a difference‐in‐difference approach to estimate the effect of medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana laws (RML) on fatalities from opioid overdoses, and we find that marijuana access induces sharp reductions in opioid mortality rates. Our research corroborates prior findings on MMLs and offers the first causal estimates of RML impacts on opioid mortality to date, the latter of which is particularly important given that RMLs are far more expansive in scope and reach than MMLs. In our preferred econometric specification, we estimate that RMLs reduce annual opioid mortality in the range of 20%–35%, with particularly pronounced effects for synthetic opioids. In further analysis, we demonstrate how RML impacts vary among demographic groups, shedding light on the distributional consequences of these laws. Our findings are especially important and timely given the scale of the opioid crisis in the United States and simultaneously evolving attitudes and regulations on marijuana use. (JEL I18, K32, H75)
Spread of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin accumulation in postharvested maize treated with biocontrol products

Abstract Maize is a major staple crop and calorie source for many people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, Aspergillus flavus causes ear rot in maize, contributing to food insecurity due to aflatoxin contamination. The biological control principle of competitive exclusion has been applied in both the United States and Africa to reduce aflatoxin levels in maize grain at harvest by introducing atoxigenic strains that out-compete toxigenic strains. The goal of this study was to determine if the efficacy of preharvest biocontrol treatments carry over into the postharvest drying period, the time between harvest and the point when grain moisture is safe for storage. In Sub-Sahara Africa, this period often is extended by weather and the complexities of postharvest drying practices. Maize grain was collected from fields in Texas and North Carolina that were treated with commercial biocontrol products and untreated control fields. To simulate moisture conditions similar to those experienced by farmers during drying in Sub-Sahara Africa, we adjusted the grain to 20% moisture content and incubated it at 28 °C for 6 days. Although the initial number of kernels infected by fungal species was high in most samples, less than 24% of kernels were infected with Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin levels were low (
PEEP Titration to Minimize Driving Pressure in Subjects With ARDS: A Prospective Physiological Study

BACKGROUND: Observational studies report that lower driving pressure (ie, the difference between plateau pressure and PEEP) is associated with improved survival in patients with ARDS and may be a key mediator of lung-protective ventilation strategies. The primary objective of this study was to characterize reductions in driving pressure that could be achieved through changes in PEEP. METHODS: In this prospective physiological pilot study, 10 subjects with ARDS were placed on PEEP according to the ARDS Network Lower PEEP/FIO2 Table. PEEP was adjusted in small increments and decrements above and below this initial PEEP, and driving pressure was measured at each PEEP level. Subsequently, PEEP was set at the level resulting in the lowest driving pressure, and driving pressure was measured after 1, 5, 15, and 30 min to assess stability over time at constant PEEP. RESULTS: All subjects had ARDS with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) PaO2/FIO2 of 116 (98–132) at enrollment. Median (IQR) driving pressure at baseline was 14 (13–17) cm H2O. After PEEP titration, median driving pressure decreased to 13 (12–14) cm H2O. The largest reduction in driving pressure was 4 cm H2O. Two subjects had no change in driving pressure at multiple PEEP levels. To achieve the lowest driving pressure, final PEEP was increased in 6 subjects and decreased in 4 subjects from the baseline PEEP prescribed by the ARDS Network Lower PEEP/FIO2 Table. Driving pressure reached equilibrium within 1–5 min and remained stable for 30 min following PEEP titration. CONCLUSIONS: PEEP titration had a variable effect in changing driving pressure across this small sample of ARDS subjects. In some subjects, PEEP was decreased from values given in the ARDS Network Lower PEEP/FIO2 Table to minimize driving pressure. Changes in driving pressure stabilized within a few minutes of PEEP titration.
Positive effects of COVID-19 control measures on pneumonia prevention.

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now become a pandemic threat to the whole world. At the same time, influenza virus has been active, with influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 sharing the same transmission routes. This article aims to alert clinicians of the presence of co-infection with these two viruses and to describe the effect of the measures taken to fight COVID-19 on influenza prevention and control.
Mathematical modeling: a positive learning approach to facilitate student sense making in mathematics

The purpose of this literature review is to explicate the facets of mathematical problem solving taxonomies in relation to mathematical modeling. Subsequently, components and learning benefits of m...
Impact of microfabrication processing temperatures on the resonant wavelength of gold nanoplates

Abstract We show that low temperature processing (100–400 °C) of gold nanoplates (GNPs) permanently shifts their resonant wavelength peak from the infrared to visible (860–650 nm) after an hour at 350 °C. The mechanism is melting-induced shape change; as sharp triangular corners become round the smaller effective GNP diameter produces shorter resonant wavelengths. These wavelength shifts are relevant to GNP-driven microelectromechanical systems, where temperatures of 150–350 °C arise during thin film processing. Strategies to accommodate the observed thermal shifts include starting with particles that have a longer resonant wavelength, ensuring that nanoplates are well-dispersed, and using sub-200 °C processing methods.
Increasing Iridium Oxide Activity for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction with Hafnium Modification.

Synthesis and implementation of highly active, stable, and affordable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a major challenge in developing energy efficient and economically viable energy conversion devices such as electrolyzers, rechargeable metal-air batteries, and regenerative fuel cells. The current benchmark electrocatalyst for OER is based on iridium oxide (IrOx) due to its superior performance and excellent stability. However, large scale applications using IrOx are impractical due to its low abundance and high cost. Herein, we report a highly active hafnium-modified iridium oxide (IrHfxOy) electrocatalyst for OER. The IrHfxOy electrocatalyst demonstrated ten times higher activity in alkaline conditions (pH = 11) and four times higher activity in acid conditions (pH = 1) than a IrOx electrocatalyst. The highest intrinsic mass activity of the IrHfxOy catalyst in acid conditions was calculated as 6950 A gIrOx-1 at an overpotential (η) of 0.3 V. Combined studies utilizing operando surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and DFT calculations revealed that the active sites for OER are the Ir-O species for both IrOx and IrHfxOy catalysts. The presence of Hf sites leads to more negative charge states on nearby O sites, shortening of the bond lengths of Ir-O, and lowers free energies for OER intermediates that accelerate the OER process.