cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thirty-Day Morbidity Associated with Pelvic Fixation in Adult Patients Undergoing Fusion for Spinal Deformity: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

Study Design Retrospective study of prospectively collected data. Objective To determine if patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery with pelvic fixation are at an increased risk of morbidity. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program is a large multicenter clinical registry that prospectively collects preoperative risk factors, intraoperative variables, and 30-day postoperative morbidity and mortality outcomes from ∼400 hospitals nationwide. Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to query the database between 2010 and 2014 for adults who underwent fusion for spinal deformity. Patients were separated into groups of those with and without pelvic fixation. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the effect of pelvic fixation on the incidence of postoperative morbidity and other surgical outcomes. Results Multivariate analysis showed that pelvic fixation was a significant predictor of overall morbidity (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7 to 3.1, p = 0.0002), intra- or postoperative blood transfusion (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.7 to 3.1 p p 5 days (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.8, p p = 0.3191). Conclusion Adult patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery with pelvic fixation were not susceptible to increased morbidity beyond increased blood loss, greater operative time, and extended length of stay.
Design and implementation of impedance matching device in Medium-voltage carrier communication network

Based on the situation that in medium-voltage carrier communication network,the impedance and the fading of carrier signals vary in different 10 kV transmission lines,this paper introduces a practicable solution by using a impedance matching device.This device can match different line impedance,and allocate power according to the fading of line carrier signals.It has reference value for the mass networking of medium-voltage carrier communication equipment.
Preventable Incidence and Mortality of Carcinoma Associated With Lifestyle Factors Among White Adults in the United States

Importance Lifestyle factors are important for cancer development. However, a recent study has been interpreted to suggest that random mutations during stem cell divisions are the major contributor to human cancer. Objective To estimate the proportion of cases and deaths of carcinoma (all cancers except skin, brain, lymphatic, hematologic, and nonfatal prostate malignancies) among whites in the United States that can be potentially prevented by lifestyle modification. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective cohort study analyzes cancer and lifestyle data from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and US national cancer statistics to evaluate associations between lifestyle and cancer incidence and mortality. Exposures A healthy lifestyle pattern was defined as never or past smoking (pack-years Main Outcomes and Measures We calculated the population-attributable risk (PAR) by comparing incidence and mortality of total and major individual carcinomas between the low- and high-risk groups. We further assessed the PAR at the national scale by comparing the low-risk group with the US population. Results A total of 89 571 women and 46 339 men from 2 cohorts were included in the study: 16 531 women and 11 731 men had a healthy lifestyle pattern (low-risk group), and the remaining 73 040 women and 34 608 men made up the high-risk group. Within the 2 cohorts, the PARs for incidence and mortality of total carcinoma were 25% and 48% in women, and 33% and 44% in men, respectively. For individual cancers, the respective PARs in women and men were 82% and 78% for lung, 29% and 20% for colon and rectum, 30% and 29% for pancreas, and 36% and 44% for bladder. Similar estimates were obtained for mortality. The PARs were 4% and 12% for breast cancer incidence and mortality, and 21% for fatal prostate cancer. Substantially higher PARs were obtained when the low-risk group was compared with the US population. For example, the PARs in women and men were 41% and 63% for incidence of total carcinoma, and 60% and 59% for colorectal cancer, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance A substantial cancer burden may be prevented through lifestyle modification. Primary prevention should remain a priority for cancer control.
Spectral Characteristics of Noble Metal Nanoparticle–Molybdenum Disulfide Heterostructures

Energy and damping of resonances which occur in spectra of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) decorated by noble metal nanospheres and prisms are examined by comparing discrete dipole approximation (DDA) simulations and transmission UV–vis measurements. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as well as A and B exciton transitions of the semiconductor are characterized individually and in tandem on a silica substrate. Extinction energies for LSPR and direct bandgap transition of MoS2 estimated by DDA are within 2% of measured values for gold nanospheres and silver nanoprisms. Resonant near-fields mapped at nanoparticle–MoS2 interfaces show plasmon damping via energy dissipation to the MoS2 and direct bandgap excitation. Linewidth analysis of resonant far-field damping estimates energy transfer efficiencies for putative hot electron transfer, corroborated by experiment. Use of DDA simulations to characterize and inform induction and damping of electric resonance modes in nanoparticle–MoS2 heterostructures is illustrated.
The evolution of the ACIS contamination layer over the 16-year mission of the Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) was launched 16 years ago and has been delivering spectacular science over the course of its mission. The Advanced CCD Imager Spectrometer (ACIS) is the prime instrument on the satellite, conducting over 90% of the observations. The CCDs operate at a temperature of -120 C and the optical blocking filter (OBF) in front of the CCDs is at a temperature of approximately −60 C. The surface of the OBF has accumulated a layer of contamination over the course of the mission, as it is the coldest surface exposed to the interior to the spacecraft. We have been characterizing the thickness, chemical composition, and spatial distribution of the contamination layer as a function of time over the mission. All three have exhibited significant changes with time. The calibration team within the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) generates calibration files that describe the additional absorption produced by the contamination layer as a function of time, position, and energy. We have verified the accuracy of this contamination file for the on-axis aimpoints using the standard model spectrum for the Supernova Remnant 1E 0102.2-7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud developed by the International Consortium for High Energy Calibration (IACHEC), but we show the model is less accurate for the off-axis positions after 2013. In 2015, the ACIS Detector Housing heater was turned on to increase the temperature of the OBF in the hope that the accumulation rate of the contamination layer would decrease. We show that the accumulation rate of the contaminant is unchanged since the DH heater was turned on.
N-myc Regulates Oncogenic microRNAs in neuroblastoma

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 4512 Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial tumor of childhood. MYCN amplification is a common feature of aggressive tumor biology in neuroblastoma. The Nmyc transcription factor has been demonstrated to induce or repress expression of numerous genes. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a recently discovered class of short RNAs that repress translation and promote mRNA degradation by sequence specific interaction with mRNA. Here, we sought to analyse the role of Nmyc in regulation of miRNA expression. Using a miRNA microarray containing 384 different miRNAs and a set of 160 miRNA real-time PCR assays to validate the microarray results, 7 miRNAs were identified to be induced by Nmyc in vitro and to be positively correlated with MYCN amplification in 28 primary neuroblastoma. Of these 7 miRNAs, miR-92, mir-106a and miR-17_5p belong to the miR-106a and miR-17 cluster, that have previously been shown to be regulated by c-myc in leukaemia. In addition, the miR-17-92 polycistron displays oncogenic properties in hematopoetic progenitor cells. We here provide first evidence of miRNA dysregulation in neuroblastoma, and propose a new mechanism by which Nmyc represses gene expression.
Influence of electrical impedance and mechanical bistability on Galfenol-based unimorph harvesters:

A study on iron-gallium (Galfenol) unimorph harvesters is presented which is focused on extending the power density and frequency bandwidth of these devices. A thickness ratio of 2 (ratio of substrate to Galfenol thickness) has been shown to achieve maximum power density under base excitation, but the effect of electrical load capacitance on performance has not been investigated. This article experimentally analyzes the influence of capacitive electrical loads and extends the excitation type to tip impulse. For resistive-capacitive electrical loads, the maximum energy conversion efficiency achieved under impulsive excitation is 5.93%, while the maximum output power and output power density observed for a 139.5 Hz, 3 m/s2 amplitude sinusoidal base excitation is 0.45 W and 6.88 mW/cm3, respectively, which are 8% higher than those measured under purely resistive loads. A finite element model for Galfenol unimorph harvesters, which incorporates magnetic, mechanical, and electrical dynamics, is developed and v...
Regional Colonic Transit Pattern Does Not Conclusively Identify Evacuation Disorders in Constipated Patients with Delayed Colonic Transit.

Background/Aims After exclusion of structural diseases, chronic constipation may be associated with normal or slow transit or rectal evacuation disorders. We evaluated: (1) clinical features and anorectal function, (2) difference of regional colonic transit according to the presence or absence of evacuation disorders, and (3) association of colonic transit with gender in patients with objectively slow colonic transit. Methods We reviewed electronic medical records of 1553 patients with constipation seen by one gastroenterologist from 1994-2015 at a tertiary medical center. We identified patients with slow colonic transit using scintigraphy. Evacuation disorders were identified on clinical examination or anorectal manometry. Colonic compliance and tone were measured in 29 patients. Statistical analysis was by the Mann-Whitney rank sum test. Results Of the 207 patients (155 females, mean age 41.3 ± 15.3 [SD] years), 113 had evacuation disorders (ED+ve) and 94 did not (ED-ve). There were no significant differences in colonic transit or gastric emptying between ED+ve or ED-ve; similarly, colonic compliance, tone and responses to neostigmine were not different in ED+ve and ED-ve. Conversely, there were significant differences by gender in patients with slow colonic transit: colonic transit, small bowel transit, and gastric emptying (all P < 0.005). Conclusions Delayed colonic transit does not exclude evacuation disorders in chronic constipation. In chronic constipation and objectively slow colonic transit, females had slower gastric, small bowel, and colonic transit than males.
Symptomatic bilateral renal angiomyolipomas in a child.

AbstractWe report a case of bilateral renal angiomyolipomas in a child with Bourneville’s tuberous sclerosis. The case is unusual because of the early age of the patient at which symptoms occurred. The presentation and treatment are discussed, and the literature is reviewed. Renal disease can occur in young patients with tuberous sclerosis and it is of clinical importance to document renal involvement in these children.
Cyclic Ozone Exposure Induces Gender-Dependent Neuropathology and Memory Decline in an Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major cause of dementia in the elderly. Although early-onset (familial) AD is attributed to gene mutations, the cause for late-onset (sporadic) AD, which accounts for 95% of AD cases, is unknown. In this study, we show that exposure of 6-week old APP/PS1 mice, a well-established animal model of AD, and non-transgenic littermates to a cyclic O 3 exposure protocol, which mimics environmental exposure episodes, accelerated learning/memory function loss in male APP/PS1 mice but not in female APP/PS1 mice or non-transgenic littermates. Female APP/PS1 mice had higher brain levels of Aβ42 and Aβ40, compared to male APP/PS1 mice; O 3 exposure, however, had no significant effect on brain Aβ load in either male or female mice. Our results further show that male APP/PS1 mice had lower levels of antioxidants (glutathione and ascorbate) and experienced augmented induction of NADPH oxidases, lipid peroxidation, and neuronal apoptosis upon O 3 exposure, compared to female APP/PS1 mice. No significant effect of O 3 on any of these parameters was detected in non-transgenic littermates. In vitro studies further show that 4-hydroxynonenal, a lipid peroxidation product which was increased in the plasma and cortex/hippocampus of O 3 exposed male APP/PS1 mice, induced neuroblastoma cell apoptosis. Together, the results suggest that O 3 exposure per se may not cause AD but can synergize with genetic risk factors to accelerate the pathophysiology of AD in genetically predisposed populations. The results also suggest that males may be more sensitive to O 3 -induced neuropathophysiology than females due to lower levels of antioxidants. The work is supported by the grants from NHLBI (HL088141) and from the School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham to Rui-Ming Liu; P01 ES011617 to Edward Postlethwait; and an award from Alzheimer’s Central Alabama to Hasina Akhter.
Tests for the Equality of Two Processes' Spectral Densities with Unequal Lengths Using Wavelet Methods

Testing procedures for assessing whether two stationary and independent linear processes with unequal lengths have the same spectral densities or same auto-covariance functions are investigated. New test statistics are proposed based on the difference of the two wavelet-based estimates of the two spectral densities. The asymptotic normal distributions of the empirical wavelet coefficients are derived based on Bartlett type approximation of a quadratic form with dependent variables by the corresponding quadratic form with independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) random variables. The limit distributions of the proposed test statistics are derived from those asymptotic results, and they asymptotically follow known chi-square distributions. The advantage of those new procedures is that those test statistics are constructed very simply and can be used for two time series with arbitrary lengths. The performance of those new tests is compared with some recent test statistics, with respect to their exact levels and powers. Simulation studies show that our proposed tests are very comparable to the current tests.
Morality and the Personal Sphere of Actions

Morality and personal freedom are often thought of as opposing poles in the affairs of human conduct. Freud (1923/ 1961), for example, saw the process of socialization as involving the formation of an intrapsychic moral control structure that functioned to harness or keep in check the passions and destructive impulses of individuals. Contemporary theorists also tend to portray freedom and morality in oppositional terms. Social constructionists and culture theorists, for example, tend to classify the morality of various societies on a continuum from the individualistic/ permissive to the collectivistic/ traditional in terms of the degrees of individual freedom and autonomy granted to members relative to the given cultural system of moral rules and obligations (Miller & Bersoff, 1992; Shweder, 1990). In this chapter I explore an alternative thesis: that morality and personal freedom are interdependent and that personal freedom is necessary both for the construction of moral understandings and engagement in moral action. In the process I want to revisit Piaget's (1932) discussion of moral autonomy and offer an expanded interpretation that emphasizes the role of social autonomy in the child's construction of morality.
Association of serious infections with pemphigus and pemphigoid: analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND Pemphigus and pemphigoid are blistering disorders associated with barrier disruption, immune dysregulation and use of immunosuppressing systemic therapy, all of which may predispose towards serious infections. OBJECTIVES To determine whether pemphigus and pemphigoid are associated with increased likelihood of serious infections and the impact of such infections on mortality and cost of care. METHODS We analysed data from the 2002 to 2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, including a representative 20% sample of all hospitalizations in the US (total n = 72 108 077 adults). RESULTS Overall, 54.6% (95% CI: 53.6-55.6%) and 50.4% (49.0-51.8%) of inpatients with either pemphigoid or pemphigus had a diagnosis of serious infection, respectively, compared with 25.4% (25.2-25.6%) in those without either diagnosis. In multivariable logistic regression models controlling for gender, age, race/ethnicity and insurance status, pemphigoid or pemphigus was associated with 26 or 21 of 48 infections examined, respectively. In particular, both pemphigoid and pemphigus were associated with higher odds of infections of the skin, bones, respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and central nervous system, septicaemia and antibiotic-resistant infections. Pemphigus was also associated with aspergillus, pharyngitis and Pneumocystis Carinii pneumonia. Associations of any serious infection in both pemphigoid and pemphigus patients were older age, non-White race, lower median household income, government or no insurance, higher number of chronic conditions, and those with a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome, diabetes, cancer or autoimmune disease. The diagnosis of any serious infection vs. no infection was associated with increased inpatient mortality and costs in both pemphigoid (mortality: 7.85% vs. 2.84%; cost: $16 115 vs. $10 653) and pemphigus (mortality: 6.78% vs. 1.88%; cost: $17 707 vs. $11 545) inpatients (P < 0.0001 for all). CONCLUSIONS Adults with pemphigus or pemphigoid had increased cutaneous, respiratory, multi-organ and systemic infections, which were associated with considerable inpatient mortality and cost burden. Moreover, there were significant clinical and healthcare disparities with respect to infections in patients with pemphigus or pemphigoid.
Faith Matters: “HBHE 710: Religion, Spirituality and Health” at the University of Michigan

This essay is an overview of the author’s experiences in developing and teaching a course on religion, spirituality (R/S) and health in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) in the University of Michigan, School of Public Health. The first section describes her professional background in relation to this content area, including a discussion of her research on R/S, as well as her personal experiences with diverse forms of religion and spirituality. This is followed by a description of the development of content for the course, perspectives presented and content boundaries, learning goals and student competencies, and how these elements were aligned with course assignments. The next section reflects on classroom climate, establishing multicultural ground rules, and student reception and experiences with course material and assignments. Finally, the essay ends with comments on student reception and experiences and the author’s reflections on areas for revision and improvement in delivering a course on religion, spirituality and health to MPH level students.
Mutagenesis Studies of Rhodopsin Phototransduction

Site-directed mutagenesis was employed in structure-function studies of bovine rhodopsin. Charged amino acids in the third transmembrane helix (Glu113, Glu122, Glu134, and Arg135) were systematically replaced. We conclude that Glu113 serves as the counterion to the retinylidene Schiff base. The second and third cytoplasmic loops linking transmembrane helices were studied by analysis of amino acid deletion and replacement mutations. Certain alterations of these loops produced rhodopsin mutants that bound but failed to activate transducin.
Outcomes of diffuse large b-cell lymphoma with MYC and/or BCL2 protein expression treated with intensive chemotherapy.

7563Background: Several studies on single and double protein expressing DLBCL (DPL), defined as BCL2 positive in > 70% and MYC positive in > 40%, have identified inferior clinical outcomes when tre...
Making Sense of Group Chat through Collaborative Tagging and Summarization

While group chat is becoming increasingly popular for team collaboration, these systems generate long streams of unstructured back-and-forth discussion that are difficult to comprehend. In this work, we investigate ways to enrich the representation of chat conversations, using techniques such as tagging and summarization, to enable users to better make sense of chat. Through needfinding interviews with 15 active group chat users, who were shown mock-up alternative chat designs, we found the importance of structured representations, including signals such as discourse acts. We then developed Tilda, a prototype system that enables people to collaboratively enrich their chat conversation while conversing. From lab evaluations, we examined the ease of marking up chat using Tilda as well as the effectiveness of Tilda-enabled summaries for getting an overview. From a field deployment, we found that teams actively engaged with Tilda both for marking up their chat as well as catching up on chat.
The triple wave epidemic: Supply and demand drivers of the US opioid overdose crisis

The US mortality rate has gone up three years in a row from 2014 to 2017 (Murphy, Xu, Kochanek, & Arias, 2016, 2018; National Center for Health Statistics, 2017). Correspondingly, life expectancy at birth has declined; the first triple year decline since World War One and the devastating influenza pandemic one hundred years ago (Tejada Vera B, 2017). Most of the top ten causes of death are declining year over year; however, the third leading cause of death, unintentional injuries, has climbed in rate and rank since 2014 (Murphy et al., 2016). Driving this are deaths due to drug poisoning which exceeded 70,000 in 2017 (Hedegaard H, 2018). Annual deaths due to drug overdoses now exceed those from motor vehicle deaths, gun violence and even HIV at the height of the 1990s HIV epidemic (J Katz, 2017).
A generalization of the infinitary divisibility relation: Algebraic and analytic properties

We consider a generalized type of unique factorization of the positive integers with restrictions on the exponents and view them as a family of arithmetic convolutions and divisibility relations, s...
Forest recovery following extreme drought in California, USA: natural patterns and effects of pre‐drought management

Rising temperatures and more frequent and severe droughts are driving increases in tree mortality in forests around the globe. However, in many cases, the likely trajectories of forest recovery following drought-related mortality are poorly understood. In many fire-suppressed western U.S. forests, management is applied to reverse densification and restore natural forest structure and species composition, but it is unclear how such management affects post-mortality recovery. We addressed these uncertainties by examining forest stands that experienced mortality during the severe drought of 2012-2016 in California, USA. We surveyed post-drought vegetation along a gradient of overstory mortality severity in paired treated (mechanically thinned or prescribed-burned) and untreated areas in the Sierra Nevada. Treatment substantially reduced tree density, particularly in smaller tree size classes, and these effects persisted through severe drought-related overstory mortality. However, even in treated areas with severe mortality (>67% basal area mortality), the combined density of residual (surviving) trees (mean 44 trees/ha) and saplings (mean 189 saplings/ha) frequently (86% of plots) fell within or exceeded the natural range of variation (NRV) of tree density, suggesting little need for reforestation intervention to increase density. Residual tree densities in untreated high-mortality plots were significantly higher (mean 192 trees/ha and 506 saplings/ha), and 96% of these plots met or exceeded the NRV. Treatment disproportionately removed shade-tolerant conifer species, while mortality in the drought event was concentrated in pines (Pinus ponderosa and P. lambertiana); as a consequence, the residual trees, saplings, and seedlings in treated areas, particularly those that had experienced moderate or high drought-related mortality, were more heavily dominated by broadleaf ("hardwood") trees (particularly Quercus kelloggii and Q. chrysolepis). In contrast, residual trees and regeneration in untreated stands were heavily dominated by shade-tolerant conifer species (Abies concolor and Calocedrus decurrens), suggesting a need for future treatment. Because increased dominance of hardwoods brings benefits for plant and animal diversity and stand resilience, the ecological advantages of mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments may, depending on the management perspective, extend even to stands that ultimately experience high drought-related mortality following treatment.
Real-Time Compression of Dynamically Generated Images for Offscreen Rendering

Ultra-high-resolution visualizations of large-scale data sets are often rendered using a remotely located graphics cluster that does not have a connected display. In such instances, rendered images must either be streamed over a network for live viewing, or saved to disk for later viewing. This process introduces the additional overhead associated with transferring data off of the GPU device. We present early work on real-time compression of rendered visualizations that aims to reduce both the device-to-host data transfer time and the I/O time for streaming or writing to disk. By using OpenGL / CUDA interop, images are compressed on the GPU prior to transferring the data to main memory. Although there is a computation cost to performing compression, our results show that this overhead is more than offset by the reduced data transfer and I/O times.
Common Diseases of Michigan Gamebirds: A Retrospective Study

Michigan has abundant resources for outdoor activity including upland gamebird hunting in the wild and on licensed hunting preserves. Due to the popularity of hunting, Michigan had a thriving gamebird industry before the economic downturn of 2008/2009. After the economic downturn, the number of gamebird preserves decreased. To understand the health issues faced by captive gamebird raisers while the industry was thriving, a 25-year retrospective study of gamebird submissions to the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory from 1983 through 2008 was undertaken. Although pheasants, quail, partridges, grouse, and mallard ducks were raised, pheasants greatly outnumbered all other gamebird species, both in numbers and submissions, and quail were the next most predominant species. Causes for submission included parasitic, bacterial, viral, and miscellaneous causes. Parasitic diseases were predominant, with coccidiosis being the leading diagnosis in pheasants and partridges and Capillaria spp. infestation of the crop prevailing in quail. Bacterial diseases were the next most predominant affliction, with clostridial enteritis, both necrotic and ulcerative, in quail, and a variety of bacterial diseases were found in pheasants and partridges. Rotaviral enteritis and adenovirus were the most prevalent viral diseases in pheasants, with adenovirus being the predominant viral disease in quail and paramyxovirus the most prevalent in partridges. From these findings, we conclude that gamebird submissions should be closely screened for parasitic diseases and the diagnosis confirmed at necropsy through scraping and examination of affected tissues.
G353(P) Profile of haemolytic uremic syndrome from a tertiary care children’s hospital in india

Aims Haemolytic Uremic syndrome is one of the leading causes of AKI in children. Aim of this study was to review the profile of children with Haemolytic Uremic syndrome. Methods This is a Retrospective case series of Children admitted with HUS to a tertiary Indian PICU between January 2011 and November 2016. The analysis was done as a part of my audit being a PICU core trainee then. Clinical course, aetiologies and outcomes at discharge and at 3 months follow up were noted. Results Out of 3958 PICU admissions, 19 children had HUS (Incidence 4.8 per 1000). 9 children (47%) had D+ HUS & 10 (52%) had D- HUS. Various D- HUS aetiologies included Anti Factor H antibody (1), Severe Dengue (1), ADAMTS 13 deficiency (1), necrotising pancreatitis (1), pneumococcal empyema (1) and unknown (5). Sixteen (84%) required Renal replacement therapy. Haemodialysis was done in 10 children, peritoneal dialysis in 3 children and 3 children received Haemodialysis after initial PD. Immunotherapy was given to 5(26%) children. This included plasmapheresis in 4(21%), steroids in 5(26%) and Rituximab in 4(21%) children. Major complications during ICU stay were seizures (52%), PRES (42%), Bleeding (31%) and secondary infections (15%). 9 out of 10 children (90%) with D-HUS had complications compared to 3 out of 9 children (33%) with D+HUS. 4 children died (mortality was 21%). Median RRT days were 8 in D+ versus 23 in D- HUS. RRT was needed in 9 (48%) children at ICU discharge. Overall main Follow up outcomes included hypertension in 85% and neurological deficits in 42%. COMPARISION OF D+ and D- HUS Conclusion Need for RRT was similar in both groups however Median RRT days were much longer in D- HUS. Complications and mortality were higher in D – HUS.
Is it Possible to be Better Off Dead? An Epicurean Analysis of Physician-Assisted Suicide

Epicurus wrote that death cannot be bad for a person who dies, since when someone dies they no longer exist to be the subject of harm. But his conclusion also applies in the converse: Death cannot be good for someone, since after their death they will not exist to be the subject of benefit. This conclusion is troubling when it is brought to bear on the question of physician assisted suicide. If Epicurus is right, as I think he is, then it means that even when someone is dying of a long and painful illness, we cannot say that they would be better off dead. I defend this conclusion by first presenting Epicurus’s argument, and defending it against some of its more important contemporary critics. I then re-examine the conclusion that someone cannot be better off dead by looking at the issue of mercy killing and euthanasia. Drawing on the work of philosophers who examine the ethics of animal euthanasia, I argue that killing someone who is suffering severe agony can be good, but it cannot be good for the person who suffers – it is just good in itself. This, I think, is why we have the intuitions that we do around physician assisted suicide: we are mistaken about the idea that someone can be better off dead, but we can be correct in thinking that sometimes someone’s death is good.
Importance of cloud motion and two-way momentum coupling in the transport of pharmaceutical nasal sprays

Abstract Nasal sprays, which produce relatively large pharmaceutical droplets with sizes mostly higher than 10 μm, are primarily used to deliver locally acting drugs to the nasal mucosa. Due to the large spray droplet size and high spray velocity, these droplets carry significant momentum, which can influence the surrounding gas field (i.e., two-way coupling) and strongly influence the droplet transport mechanics and droplet deposition profile. The objective of this study was to determine if two-way momentum coupling leading to cloud motion is an important factor in simulating pharmaceutical nasal sprays, and if so, to develop a computationally efficient method to capture this effect. The effect of two-way momentum exchange between the nasal spray droplets and the surrounding air was analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of sprays from two pharmaceutical nasal spray pumps. The computational spray transport was modeled using different modeling approaches including one-way coupled and two-way coupled Euler-Lagrange and Euler-Euler frameworks. Detailed comparisons of the computational simulation results with in vitro spray transport measurements were performed to establish which modeling approach is more accurate for predicting the nasal spray transport. The simulation results indicated that the coupling effect of the spray momentum exchange with the air molecules created an air-jet velocity profile, which in turn led to a cloud-like motion of the smaller droplets. The airflow created by the cloud of droplets as a whole imparts significant momentum on the smaller droplets and transports them further into the flow field. The comparison study of simulation results and the in vitro measurements demonstrated that the two-way coupled Euler-Lagrange approach was more effective in accurately capturing the nasal spray transport. The spray modeling results indicated that the effect of two-way momentum exchange between the nasal spray droplets and the surrounding air was significant and influenced the spray droplet transport. Calculating the two-way coupling effects was computational resource intensive and time-consuming. Hence, reduced-time and resource modeling approaches including a quasi two-way coupled approach and momentum transfer approach were introduced to simplify the calculation.
Pseudoaneurysm within a desmoid tumor in an extremity: report of 2 cases

Desmoid tumor is considered a benign neoplasm, yet substantial morbidity can result from local invasion of structures adjacent to the tumor or from complications related to its treatment. We report two patients with extremity desmoid tumor who were each found at MRI to have an unsuspected pseudoaneurysm within their tumor after prior treatments (surgery and systemic therapy in one, surgery alone in the other). Such a pseudoaneurysm probably results from weakening of an arterial wall by adjacent desmoid tumor, as well as from local trauma. Due to the potential risk for life-threatening rupture of a pseudoaneurysm, one patient underwent surgical repair and the other, coil embolization. To our knowledge the presence of pseudoaneurysm has been reported within a few cases of abdominal desmoid tumor but not within an extremity desmoid tumor. This diagnosis has not been reported to have been made at MRI, either.
Quality metrics in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

Purpose of review Quality improvement and patient safety are relevant to the advancement of clinical care, particularly in the field of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (MIGS). Although safety and feasibility of MIGS have been established, identification of quality metrics in this field is also necessary. Recent findings Surgical quality improvement has focused on national overarching measures to reduce mortality, surgical site infections (SSIs), and complications. Quality improvement in minimally invasive surgery has additionally led to advancements in postoperative patient recovery and long-term outcomes. Process measures in minimally invasive surgery include use of bundles and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs. However, procedure-specific quality metrics for MIGS outcomes are poorly defined at this time. Summary Quality metrics in minimally invasive gynecology are well defined for structural measures and select process measures. Creation of relevant benchmarks for outcome measures in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery are needed.
Systematic Review of Flipped Instruction in Undergraduate Chemistry Lectures (2007–2019): Facilitation, Independent Practice, Accountability, and Measure Type Matter

There has been a recent rapid increase in the number of primary studies comparing the impacts of flipped to traditional instruction in undergraduate chemistry courses. Across these studies, there are wide variations in flipped model design, implementation, and reported impacts. To investigate these variations, 28 primary peer-reviewed studies were systematically analyzed. There were three notable trends. First, compared to final exams, course GPA seems to be the more sensitive measure of significant gains in students’ overall academic performance. Second, courses reporting significant gains in course GPA concertedly used (i) an extrinsic motivational tool for students to complete pre- and in-class activities, (ii) responsive mini-lecturing as an in-class instructional strategy, and (iii) the optional flipped model feature of independent postclass problem solving. In stark contrast, studies reporting no difference in course GPA rarely incentivized student completion of pre- and in-class activities, and none used responsive mini-lecturing or postclass problem solving. It was difficult to determine robust trends in impacts on various student populations as impacts were seldomly disaggregated by descriptors such as sex, race/ethnicity, and income level. Third, although there was a clear trend of constructivism being used as the theoretical framework for flipped courses, extrinsic motivation potentially plays a key role in the model’s impact. Instructor ability or desire to motivate students to engage with learning, however, was not addressed in most studies. These trends imply - more research is needed to determine impacts of flipped courses on diverse student populations and the role of instructor beliefs and ability to motivate students to engage with learning in a flipped course. Such research should be used to advance the theoretical understanding of how, why, and in what contexts flipped courses positively and significantly impact diverse students’ academic performance.
An innovative approach in the treatment of trigeminal trophic syndrome.

Background Trigeminal trophic syndrome (TTS) is a rare disorder that presents as ulceration of the nasal ala, and less often ipsilateral cheek, cutaneous lip, and forehead, following damage to the trigeminal nerve. TTS is often very difficult to treat due to anesthesia and paresthesia along the distribution of the trigeminal nerve, which often leads to a large behavioral component of this disease. Methods In this single case report, a thermoplastic mask was sutured in place overlying the chronic ulcerations of TTS in a 57-year-old man. Results Significant re-epithelization of the chronic ulcerations of TTS was seen after only 6 weeks of thermoplastic mask attachment. Conclusion While TTS is a chronic and difficult to treat disease, the use of a thermoplastic mask in the treatment of this disease can significantly decrease the self-manipulation component and allow for re-epithelization and healing of the chronic ulcerations.
The effects of dehumanizing language on public opinion toward federal and “for-profit” immigrant detention

Both the “for-profit” nature and dehumanizing conditions of immigration detention centers has ignited an intense public debate on the use of immigration detention centers. Although prior research i...
Adaptation and Generalization for Unknown Sensitive Factors of Variations.

Assured AI in unrestricted settings is a critical problem. Our framework addresses AI assurance challenges lying at the intersection of domain adaptation, fairness, and counterfactuals analysis, operating via the discovery and intervention on factors of variations in data (e.g. weather or illumination conditions) that significantly affect the robustness of AI models. Robustness is understood here as insensitivity of the model performance to variations in sensitive factors. Sensitive factors are traditionally set in a supervised setting, whereby factors are known a-priori (e.g. for fairness this could be factors like sex or race). In contrast, our motivation is real-life scenarios where less, or nothing, is actually known a-priori about certain factors that cause models to fail. This leads us to consider various settings (unsupervised, domain generalization, semi-supervised) that correspond to different degrees of incomplete knowledge about those factors. Therefore, our two step approach works by a) discovering sensitive factors that cause AI systems to fail in a unsupervised fashion, and then b) intervening models to lessen these factor's influence. Our method considers 3 interventions consisting of Augmentation, Coherence, and Adversarial Interventions (ACAI). We demonstrate the ability for interventions on discovered/source factors to generalize to target/real factors. We also demonstrate how adaptation to real factors of variations can be performed in the semi-supervised case where some target factor labels are known, via automated intervention selection. Experiments show that our approach improves on baseline models, with regard to achieving optimal utility vs. sensitivity/robustness tradeoffs.
Relics and Kindling: An Autobiography

High in the maple amid the keys and the wind, I'd sway as the branch tipped, tossed, shivered and swooned, and if not for my grip, the gray bark against my cheek, the tether of gravity and my own fear of heights, I swear I flew: above the housetops and the field, above the gully flooded with runoff, the spiral of swifts (for years I thought they were bats) lifting from the incinerator's brick chim ney, above the powder blue water tower, a tear-mark of rust beneath each rivet, above the grain elevators of North Kansas City and the wide Missouri, above the barges and high tension wires, above the bluffs and scree, and flying, my body was my own?not a changeling's body, hollow-boned, not a projection against a screen, not a fall from which I would wake to a thud on box-springs?the shuddered fabric of my windbreaker caught a gust like a sail as I stepped out onto the air and for a moment dropped like the swifts as they bob and swoop down and downward, only to shoot up and out of sight.
Induction of virus multiplication in 3T3 cells transformed by a thermosensitive mutant of polyoma virus. II. Formation of oligometric polyoma DNA molecules.

Abstract 3T3 cells transformed with a thermosensitive mutant of polyoma ( Ts-a ) can be induced to produce virus if the cells (Ts-a-3T3) are transferred from 38.5 °C to 31 °C (Vogt, 1970). Viral DNA synthesis is detectable in the activated cell population 24 hours after the shift to low temperature and steadily increases for several days. Following activation at 31 °C, cultures continue to make viral DNA for at least 24 hours after they are shifted back to high temperature. Our data suggest that induction of viral multiplication involves the asynchronous occurrence of a unique event, after which DNA synthesis can continue even under non-permissive conditions. Superhelical closed circular dimers and trimers of polyoma DNA are synthesized as well as monomeric molecules. These oligomers amount to 40% of the total viral DNA; they are not obligatory precursors of the monomeric form, which is the only type found in mature virions. Oligomers are not observed (1% or less) after infection of 3T3 cells with either wild type or the Ts-a mutant of polyoma. Several possible models to explain the origin of oligomers, the state of viral DNA in transformed cells and the nature of the activating event are discussed.
Differential distribution of closely related potassium channels in rat Schwann cells

Closely related K+ channels can coassemble to form heteromultimers in expression systems, as well as in vivo. Whether in vivo this coassembly is random and inevitable or whether highly homologous channels can be segregated and targeted independently within a given cell has not been determined. In this study, we address these questions by characterizing and localizing voltage-dependent K+ channels in Schwann cells. Transcripts for three closely related members of the Shaker-like family of K+ channels are found in adult rat sciatic nerve: Kv1.1, Kv1.2, and Kv1.5. We have examined two of these and observed that both Kv1.1 and Kv1.5 proteins are expressed in Schwann cells but differ in their distributions. Kv1.5 is localized on the Schwann cell membrane at the nodes of Ranvier and in bands that run along the outer surface of the myelin. It is also seen intracellularly in the vicinity of the nucleus. Schwann cell staining for Kv1.1, on the other hand, was seen only in perinuclear, intracellular compartments. These results provide evidence that closely related channels from the same family need not coassemble and can be localized differentially in the same cell. In addition, Kv1.1 was highly concentrated in the axonal membrane at juxtaparanodal regions. The distributions of these K+ channels in myelinated nerve highlight the elaborate molecular specializations of these membranes.
The institutional dynamics of homelessness : The United States of America and Japan compared

Purpose – Previous research has made it clear that homelessness is a social condition that finds its origins in structural causes such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, chronic unemployment, and reductions in welfare support. However, in the author's view, the exclusive focus upon these structural variables fails to provide a comprehensive account of the social forces that contribute to and shape the homeless experience. The paper's aim is to contend that homelessness can also be viewed as the result of continued subordinate institutional experiences.Design/methodology/approach – The present paper examines in depth some of the inner practices of various normative institutions, namely morality, family, and the prison and uncover the ways in which they operate in producing acute states of social and moral disempowerment, and how they affect the faculties of subordinate members to competently fend for themselves in the wider society. It relies on a set of concepts coined by authors such as E. Goffman, ...
SEROLOGICAL GROUPING OF ACTINOMYCES BY MEANS OF FLUORESCENT ANTIBODIES.

Slack, John M. (West Virginia University, Morgantown), Ann Winger, and Dane W. Moore, Jr. Serological grouping of actinomyces by means of fluorescent antibodies. J. Bacteriol. 82: 54–65. 1961.—Serological groups A, B, C and D of actinomyces were established using fluorescent antibody techniques. One hundred and thirty-eight cultures were included in the study. Eighty-nine were classed in group A, 15 in B, 13 in C, and 21 in D. The isolates were from patients and animals with actinomycosis and from healthy human beings. There was no correlation between source of the isolate and serological group. Furthermore, no one species could be placed exclusively in one group although the majority of those designated as Actinomyces bovis were in group A. Seventeen anaerobic diphtheroids and seven Corynebacterium acnes isolates were placed in group A. One diphtheroid was in each of groups B and D. On this basis it is suggested that these organisms be included in the genus Actinomyces . Additional species of Corynebacterium as well as Lactobacillus Propionibacterium, Streptomyces , and Nocardia did not fluoresce with any of the group antisera. Images