cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Life as art, and seeing the promise of big bodies

In this article, I illustrate how bodybuilding, a popular U.S. cultural practice concerned with aesthetics and self-development, productively engages with social and cultural struggles facing late-modern subjects, including how humans might connect with the world, each other, and ourselves. Ethnographic details are based on discourse analysis of bodybuilding media, interviews with amateur and professional bodybuilders, and participant-observation in bodybuilding contests and gym training throughout the United States. My arguments and shifting narrative presentations draw on work on critique and postcritique in and beyond academic anthropology and suggest how seeing bodybuilding in a potentially positive light requires perceptual–ethical habits not currently fostered in the discipline.
Effect of carbon source on enzymes and metabolites of arginine metabolism in Neurospora

The levels of enzymes and metabolites of arginine metabolism were determined in exponential cultures of Neurospora crassa grown on various carbon sources. The carbon sources decreased in effectiveness (as determined by generation times) in the following order: sucrose, acetate, glycerol, and ethanol. The basal and induced levels of the catabolic enzymes, arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) and ornithine transaminase (EC 2.6.1.13), were lower in mycelia grown on poor carbon sources. Arginase was more sensitive to variations in carbon source than was ornithine transaminase. Induction of both enzymes was sensitive to nitrogen metabolite control, but this sensitivity was reduced in mycelia grown on glycerol or ethanol. The pools of arginine and ornithine were reduced in mycelia grown in unsupplemented medium containing poor carbon sources, but the biosynthetic enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.3) was not derepressed. The arginine pools were similar, regardless of carbon source, in mycelia grown in arginine-supplemented medium. The ornithine pool was reduced by growth on poor carbon sources. The rate of arginine degradation was proportional to the level of arginase in both sucrose- and glycerol-grown mycelia. The distribution of arginine between cytosol and vesicles was only slightly altered by growth on glycerol instead of sucrose. The slightly smaller cytosolic arginine concentration did not appear to be sufficient to account for the alterations in basal and induced enzyme levels. The results suggest a possible carbon metabolite effect on the expression or turnover of a variety of genes for enzymes of arginine metabolism in Neurospora.
Automated large-scale file preparation, docking, and scoring: evaluation of ITScore and STScore using the 2012 Community Structure-Activity Resource benchmark.

In this study, we use the recently released 2012 Community Structure–Activity Resource (CSAR) data set to evaluate two knowledge-based scoring functions, ITScore and STScore, and a simple force-field-based potential (VDWScore). The CSAR data set contains 757 compounds, most with known affinities, and 57 crystal structures. With the help of the script files for docking preparation, we use the full CSAR data set to evaluate the performances of the scoring functions on binding affinity prediction and active/inactive compound discrimination. The CSAR subset that includes crystal structures is used as well, to evaluate the performances of the scoring functions on binding mode and affinity predictions. Within this structure subset, we investigate the importance of accurate ligand and protein conformational sampling and find that the binding affinity predictions are less sensitive to non-native ligand and protein conformations than the binding mode predictions. We also find the full CSAR data set to be more chal...
Prescription Opioids in Adolescence and Future Opioid Misuse.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Legitimate opioid use is associated with an increased risk of long-term opioid use and possibly misuse in adults. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of future opioid misuse among adolescents who have not yet graduated from high school. METHODS: Prospective, panel data come from the Monitoring the Future study. The analysis uses a nationally representative sample of 6220 individuals surveyed in school in 12th grade and then followed up through age 23. Analyses are stratified by predicted future opioid misuse as measured in 12th grade on the basis of known risk factors. The main outcome is nonmedical use of a prescription opioid at ages 19 to 23. Predictors include use of a legitimate prescription by 12th grade, as well as baseline history of drug use and baseline attitudes toward illegal drug use. RESULTS: Legitimate opioid use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33% increase in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school. This association is concentrated among individuals who have little to no history of drug use and, as well, strong disapproval of illegal drug use at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Use of prescribed opioids before the 12th grade is independently associated with future opioid misuse among patients with little drug experience and who disapprove of illegal drug use. Clinic-based education and prevention efforts have substantial potential to reduce future opioid misuse among these individuals, who begin opioid use with strong attitudes against illegal drug use.
The Swimming Pool

(1920). The Swimming Pool. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 25, No. 9, pp. 383-399.
Application of Aluminum Nitride Thin Film for Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUT) based on piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films. The MUT device is composed of an Al/AlN/Al sandwiched structure overlaid on top of a silicon (Si) diaphragm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) scan shows that highly c-axis oriented AlN (002) thin films have been grown on Al/Si(100) substrates. Electrical impedance of the MUT devices is analyzed as a function of frequency. The fundamental resonant frequencies of the devices are found in the range of 65–70 kHz, which are in approximation to the theoretical calculation. The effective coupling factors of the devices are also derived as 0.18.
Histological Examination of Larval Clover Root Curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Damage to Ladino White Clover

Characteristic Sitona hispidulus (F.) larval root wounds on six genotypes of Ladino clover were histologically examined to determine average tissue penetration of curculio wounds. No differences in tissue penetration were found among the six genotypes. Wounds in zone 1 (root region 0 to 2.5 cm below soil surface) were deeper than those in zone 2 (root region 2.5 to 5 cm below soil surface), but this was not reflected in the wound scores. ‘Tillman’ was the only genotype to incur wounds which penetrated into the xylem. Most root wounds found on ‘Tillman’ in zone 1 were significantly deeper than wounds found on the other five genotypes (zones 1 and 2). A negative correlation (r = −0.79) was found between cellulose fiber density in the cortex and phloem regions and depth of root tissue penetration for five of the six genotypes. The sixth genotype possessed low fiber density and a shallow wound score.
Abstract 18272: The Increasing Proportion of Acute Myocardial Infarction Represented by the Uninsured: a Growing Financial Burden in the United States

Introduction: Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, insurance coverage will markedly increase with the Congressional Budgetary Office estimating the number of insured to increase by approximately 13 million in 2014 and 25 million in 2016. However, approximately 31 million non-elderly US citizens are expected to remain without health insurance in 2016. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a source of significant morbidity and mortality, as well as cost to society. No prior studies have examined temporal rates of uninsured among patients presenting with an AMI using a nationally representative database. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that the proportion of uninsured individuals with AMI and cost of uninsured to society will vary by year. Methods: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), which contains estimates from approximately 8 million hospital visits and information related to number of discharges, aggregate charges, and principal diagnoses of all patients discharged in the US. We calculated the percentage of acute myocardial infarction by insurance status, and the sum of all charges of hospital stays in the US adjusted for inflation. Results: The cost to society due to acute myocardial infarction in the uninsured increased substantially from 1997 to 2012, with total cost in 1997 of $852,596,272 and $3,446,893,954 in 2012 after adjustment for inflation. In addition, although rates of AMI decreased in the general population (from 268.6/100,000 individuals in 1997 to 193.8/100,000 individuals in 2012), the proportion of individuals with AMI who were uninsured increased (from 3.83% in 1997 to 7.37% in 2012). Conclusions: The proportion of those experiencing AMI who are uninsured is rising, as is cost to society. It remains to be seen what the effects of expanding health insurance will have on the rate of AMI as well as proportion of AMI represented by the uninsured.
Effects of ramp time on sensory, motor and tolerance thresholds during exogenous electrical stimulation.

This investigation examined the effects of ramp time on the current intensity needed to elicit sensory, motor and pain tolerance response. Forty-seven healthy subjects were randomly divided into three groups. Subjects in group one (no. 17), group two (no. 15), and group three (no. 15) had the onset (ramp time) knob present at 1.0, 3.5 and 5.0 seconds, respectively. Subsequently, the wrist and finger flexors of the dominant hand were stimulated following standardized instructions. For each subject, the current intensity needed to elicit: (1) the sensory response, (2) minimum perceptible contraction, and (3) the maximum tolerance level of painful stimulation was determined. Significant F ratio was found for the current intensity at different perceptual level (p less than 0.5) but not for ramp time (p greater than .05). The findings suggest that with the stimulator used in this study, ramp time has no effect on the three basic excitatory responses, i.e., thresholds of sensory, motor and painful stimulation.
Studies on prolonged acute regional ischemia. IV. Aggressive surgical treatment for intractable ventricular fibrillation after acute myocardial infarction.

Of 21 dogs undergoing ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and 50% stenosis of the left circumflex coronary artery, 15 developed intractable ventricular fibrillation and underwent 1 added hour of femoro-femoral bypass. Three hearts were removed after 1 hour on bypass without myocardial reperfusion for biochemical and mitochondrial analysis. After the 1 hour, five underwent unmodified blood reperfusion on bypass; seven underwent 1 hour of aortic clamping on vented bypass to simulate coronary artery bypass grafting with multidose blood cardioplegic reperfusion. Regional systolic shortening was measured with ultrasonic crystals and cardiac output was measured by thermodilution techniques. All six hearts with no ventricular fibrillation or with reversible ventricular fibrillation and hearts that were not reperfused developed cardiogenic shock (40% decrease in stroke work index, p
Cognitive Self-Help: Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a self-help method that has been applied to the areas of mental health, business, religion, and athletic performance. Positive thinking promises much and has reached a vast audience. Its primary advantage is that it can be practiced without a therapist; all that has to be done is read a book or listen to a speech or audiotape, and apply the methods.
Alcohol's Collateral Damage: Childhood Exposure to Problem Drinkers and Subsequent Adult Mortality Risk

The importance of childhood circumstances, broadly defined, for shaping adult health and longevity is well established. But the significance of one of the most prevalent childhood adversities—exposure to problem drinkers—has been understudied from a sociological perspective and remains poorly understood. We address this gap by drawing on cumulative inequality theory, using data from the 1988–2011 National Health Interview Survey-Linked Mortality Files, and estimating Cox proportional hazards models to examine the relationship between exposure to problem drinkers in childhood and adult mortality risk. Childhood exposure to problem drinkers is common (nearly one in five individuals were exposed) and elevates adult overall and cause-specific mortality risk. Compared to individuals who had not lived with a problem drinker during childhood, those who had done so suffered 17 percent higher risk of death ( p
Interpretable policies for dynamic product recommendations

In many applications, it may be better to compute a good interpretable policy instead of a complex optimal one. For example, a recommendation engine might perform better when accounting for user profiles, but in the absence of such loyalty data, assumptions would have to be made that increase the complexity of the recommendation policy. A simple greedy recommendation could be implemented based on aggregated user data, but another simple policy can improve on this by accounting for the fact that users come from different segments of a population. In this paper, we study the problem of computing an optimal policy that is interpretable. In particular, we consider a policy to be interpretable if the decisions (e.g., recommendations) depend only on a small number of simple state attributes (e.g., the currently viewed product). This novel model is a general Markov decision problem with action constraints over states. We show that this problem is NP hard and develop a Mixed Integer Linear Programming formulation that gives an exact solution when policies are restricted to being deterministic. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach on a real-world business case for a European tour operator's recommendation engine.
Working Memory: The Information You Are Now Thinking of

Working memory is the limited information that we keep in mind and use to carry out thinking. This chapter explains the early and modern history of investigation of working memory, current controversies regarding the nature of working memory, and practical applications of the concept. Working memory is important because its limits help define what one can or cannot comprehend. A better understanding of working memory should allow improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of various neural conditions. Thinking broadly, studying working memory and other general limitations of the cognitive system could produce more humble and accommodating styles of interaction with other people, as one keeps in mind one's own cognitive limitations.
Mixed convection in fluid-superposed porous layers. Part 1. Analysis

Abstract Mixed convection in fluid superposed porous layers heated locally from below is analyzed numerically based on the one-domain formulation of the conservation equations for laminar flow in the fluid sublayer and Darcy-Brinkman-Forcheimer (DBF) flow in the porous sublayer. Porosity is used as the switching parameter causing the governing equations to transition from an extended form of the DBF equations in the porous sublayer to the Navier-Stokes equations in the fluid sublayer. The conductivity ratio, Darcy number, porous layer height fraction, Rayleigh number, and Peclet number have a strong effect on the Nusselt number. Complex thermal pluming above the heated zone on the lower boundary appears for certain combinations of Rayleigh and Peclet numbers. Results extend the parameter space of the natural convection case through the mixed convection regime and into the forced convection regime for fluid superposed porous layers.
Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair into the False Lumen in Chronic Aortic Dissection

Background Deployment of a stent graft for the treatment of aortic dissections is normally performed in the true lumen. However, in some rare occasions landing in the false lumen may be appropriate. Methods We present 2 different cases of chronic aortic dissection, where we opted to land the stent graft into the false lumen to treat the associated aneurysm. Results For the first case, the goal of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) was to exclude the aneurysm from within the false lumen because of a slit-like true lumen. In the second case, the visceral arteries came off the false lumen, with the renal vessels from the true lumen. False lumen TEVAR was performed, and the infrarenal aorta fenestrated, as to ensure adequate perfusion. Conclusions These different clinical scenarios show how false lumen TEVAR for chronic dissections with associated aneurysms can be an alternative treatment approach and highlight the importance of assessing the origin of branch vessels and the possible necessity of reperfusion of these, before TEVAR is performed.
Ultraviolet microcavity light-emitting diode with ion-implanted current aperture (Conference Presentation)

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are known to have advantages of lower threshold current operation, circular and low-divergence output beam, and lower temperature sensitivity compared to edge-emitting laser diodes. In conventional VCSELs, the formation of a current aperture plays a vital role in the device characteristics. Low laser thresholds and single-transverse-mode operation would not be possible without a well-defined current aperture to confine carriers to generate photons between the two distributed Bragg reflectors. Since the introduction of the controlled oxidation process for the AlxGa1-xAs material system by Dallesasse and Holonyak in 1989, most VCSELs have employed oxidation for current aperture formation as well as optical confinement and this technique has become one of the most commonly used fabrication techniques for traditional III-V compound semiconductor infrared VCSELs. However, for III-N emitters operating at wavelengths in the ultraviolet to green wavelength range, the formation of Al-based native oxide layers has not proven feasible. As a result, various current-confinement techniques have been studied such as, selective-area growth of buried AlN, oxidizing AlInN, and selective activation of acceptors. In this work, we report an ion-implantation process which is effective for carrier confinement and defines a current aperture for our III-N ultraviolet microcavity light-emitting diodes (MCLEDs). The devices have peak emission wavelength of ~371.4 nm with the spectral linewidth of 5.1 nm at the highest pulsed current injection level of 15 kA/cm2. Further discussion on the material growth, material characterization, implantation parameters, as well as numerical simulation for structural design will be presented in the conference.
Trends in Urological Referral Patterns: A Study of Community and University Urologists in the United States

AbstractIntroduction: Numerous factors are associated with changes in practice patterns, some provider specific (eg age, gender, training, practice type, sense of well-being) and others extrinsic (...
A laser based high performance universal product code reader

At present, more than 99% of the packages in the grocery stores have been marked by the manufacturer with laser scannable UPC symbols and the installation of laser based optical readers is expected to expand into all stores. This paper describes a laser based reader that was designed and engineered for reliable,high speed and safety uses in an ordinary store environment.Areas to be discussed are:laser/optics scan pattern generation,signal processor,characteristics and encodation of the UPC and the laser safety program.
Self-Report of Aerobic Activity among Older African Americans with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Physical inactivity among older adults around the world is a growing concern. In the United States, older African Americans report high levels of physical inactivity, especially older African Americans with chronic conditions. This study examined the influence of chronic conditions on aerobic activity among a sample of community-dwelling, older African Americans with a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions, such as hypertension and arthritis. Findings indicate that regardless of age, the number of chronic conditions was a significant influence in self-report of aerobic activity. Successful self-management of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions may promote physical activity among sedentary older African Americans with multiple chronic conditions. Furthermore, research that considers a life course epidemiological approach are needed to enhance our understanding about the cumulative effects of MCC on physical activity among sedentary, older African Americans with MCC.
Simulation of condensation and liquid break-up on a micro-object with upper and lower movable walls using Lattice Boltzmann Method

Abstract In this paper, two-dimensional condensation, liquid behavior on the micro-object with moving walls, and breaking up have been investigated by the Shan and Chen multiphase Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), which has the ability to incorporate interactions such as fluid–fluid, and also fluid–solid. Four test cases with low, medium, high, and very high Weber numbers are investigated considering the velocity control of walls in detail. Vertical spread fraction n ∕ h (where n is the minimum liquid thickness after deformation and h is the maximum length of liquid deformation in each time) decreases quickly indicating the liquid tendency to breakup in all cases. Except for the case of a very high Weber number, the separation will not happen and finally after fluctuation the fixed bulk of condensed liquid will be placed on the side of the micro-object. The maximum value of reaction parameter h ∕ d becomes larger as the Weber number increases. It is shown that an increase in the Weber number leads to liquid breakup and this mechanism provides an effective way for removing the condensed liquid from micro-devices surfaces. The results by LBM reveal the liquid evolutionary behavior and breaking up over time and show that it is a controllable situation by manipulating the walls velocity. Moreover, it can be used in order to centralize and aggregate all the liquid to a specific direction.
Achieving realism and repeatability of an orchestra simulated within a concert hall

Virtual acoustic techniques can allow for direct comparison between concert halls, but care must be taken to ensure the virtual reconstruction connects back to the subtle perceptions of the real environment. To achieve better realism with repeatability between measured halls, a compact spherical loudspeaker array is being used to simulate an orchestra. This sound source is placed at twenty different source locations around the stage. For each instrument measurement position, a swept-sine signal is processed to radiate from the source with a particular instrument’s directivity, and the spatial room impulse response (RIR) is measured. This processing is accomplished through filters designed from an instrument directivity database measured with 32 microphones. For each instrument, a set of full-frequency filters, one for each loudspeaker driver, were designed from one-third octave band spherical harmonic weights. These processing techniques are directly analogous to higher order Ambisonics (HOA). In the audience, a 32-element spherical microphone array is used to capture the spatial RIR, and each measurement is convolved with single-instrument anechoic recordings and auralized using HOA. Separate auralizations of each instrument are combined together into a full-orchestral auralization. The measurement setup, filter design, and equalization techniques will be presented. [Work supported by NSF Award 1302741.]
Productive Uncertainty and Postpedagogical Practice in First-Year Writing

To succeed beyond the writing classroom, students need creative thinking and adaptable, transferable writing and learning strategies, both of which are emphasized by a classroom approach called “postpedagogy.” Postpedagogy emphasizes experimentation and reflection as integral to composing processes, especially digital composing. One feature of postpedagogical classrooms is writing assignments that require students to make a broader range of rhetorical choices and experiment with new approaches, audiences, mediums, and/or technologies. I offer my “definitional text” assignment as an example of one such writing assignment. Though the experimentation encouraged by postpedagogical approaches may lead to initial failures and frustration, such failure can be made productive via intensive, sustained, and specific reflection on composing and learning processes.
Performance of Materials in Black Liquor Gasification Environments

Black liquor gasification systems have the potential to replace black liquor recovery boilers because of their increased energy efficiency, reduced emission of pollutants and inherently safer designs. However, there are significant problems that must be addressed, not the least of which is the selection of suitable materials for containment of the processes associated with gasification. There are two systems that are considerably ahead of all others in terms of development efforts and commercialization: a low-temperature process that operates below the melting point of the salts and one that operates well above it. Descriptions of both systems and the operating environments are presented, as well as a summary of the performance of materials in these systems. Laboratory studies that simulate the gasifier environments are currently underway, and initial results of these studies indicate there are significant materials issues to be resolved. Predictions of corrosion rate have also been made using proprietary software, and results of these projections are summarized.
An Application of Object-Oriented Technology to Unified Life Cycle Engineering

The Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE) at Iowa State University and in conjunction with Northwestern University is involved in continued development of an integrated system that assesses the inspectability and reliability of manufactured parts from a description of their geometry, materials, expected loads, and performance requirements. The main objective of this program, Integrated Design, NDE, and the Manufacturing Sciences, is to combine a variety of rapidly emerging disciplines associated with structural integrity with established techniques of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). The contributing disciplines include quantitative nondestructive evaluation, statistical modeling for quality assurance, process control, fracture mechanics and materials engineering, numerical methods for stress/fracture analysis, life cycle reliability and cost modeling, and computer and expert system (AI) networking. This results in a new engineering methodology that will allow life cycle integrity (as defined by reliability, maintainability, and life cycle costs) to be explicitly considered as a part of the synthesis of new designs for critical components and systems, thereby providing a realistic framework for design optimization.
Athletic heart syndrome.

Athletic heart syndrome is a benign condition comprised of a constellation of physiologic adaptations to the increased demands of exercise. Features include biventricular hypertrophy with normal or improved systolic and diastolic function. The alterations in cardiac structure are dependent on the type of training undertaken (dynamic versus isometric). An understanding of the clinical expression of these changes is essential to prevent misinterpretation and to allow the athletic heart syndrome to be differentiated from pathologic conditions, in particular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Questions remain regarding the underlying mechanisms of the athletic heart syndrome and its long-term prognosis.
Gilbert Stork (1921-2017).

Chemist who revolutionized molecular synthesis. Chemist who revolutionized molecular synthesis.
Taxidermy or Translation

Building on the Athens Charter, the Venice Charter helped establish normative modes of conservation and restoration such that important buildings would be preserved authentically based on primary s...
Perceived Teacher Discrimination and Academic Achievement Among Urban Caribbean Black and African American Youth: School Bonding and Family Support as Protective Factors:

This study examined the relations of perceived teacher discrimination, school bonding, and family support to academic achievement among 1,122 urban Caribbean Black and African American adolescents....
Acute and Chronic Lymphadenitis

Lymphadenitis refers to any condition that results in an inflamed lymph node or group of lymph nodes. A careful medical history and physical examination are important when suspecting the diagnosis. Although infection is the most common cause of inflamed lymph nodes, noninfectious etiologies should also be considered. The history of the present illness, including the length of time the symptoms have been present, along with any associated systemic signs or symptoms can provide important clues about the underlying cause. A history of exposure to an infectious agent known to cause lymphadenitis and physical examination findings related to the anatomic location(s) of the affected lymph nodes can also be very useful in narrowing the broad differential diagnosis. By far, the most common causes of acute bacterial lymphadenitis are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. As a group, subacute and chronic lymphadenitis is less common than acute infection but carries a much broader differential diagnosis with nontuberculous mycobacteria and Bartonella henselae, the cause of cat scratch disease, becoming the primary considerations. While tuberculosis (TB) is generally considered an infection of the lungs, one of the well-described clinical presentations of extrapulmonary TB is chronic lymphadenitis. Less common microbiologic causes of lymphadenitis include other bacteria, a variety of viruses, several fungi, and at least one parasite. Acute lymphadenitis is often treated empirically with antimicrobial agents effective against S. aureus and S. pyogenes. When the illness is atypical, prolonged, or severe, a diagnostic evaluation that includes blood tests, imaging studies, and screening for TB should be performed. If the diagnosis remains enigmatic despite those efforts, fine needle aspiration, lymph node biopsy, or complete surgical excision of the inflamed lymph node may be necessary. Surgically obtained tissue should be sent for microbiologic studies and for histologic evaluation. Definitive medical treatment depends on the identified underlying cause.
One- to 10-Day Versus 11- to 30-Day All-Cause Readmission and Mortality in Older Patients With Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause for 30-day all-cause readmission in older Medicare beneficiaries and 30-day all-cause readmission is associated with a higher risk of mortality. In the current analysis, we examined if that association varied by timing of 30-day all-cause readmission. Of the 8,049 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for HF, 1,688 had 30-day all-cause readmissions, of whom 1,519 were alive at 30 days. Of these, 626 (41%) had early (first 10 days) 30-day readmission. Propensity scores for early 30-day readmission, estimated for all 1,519 patients, were used to assemble a matched cohort of 596 pairs of patients with early versus late (11 to 30 days) all-cause readmission balanced on 34 baseline characteristics. Two-year all-cause mortality occurred in 51% and 57% of matched patients with early versus late 30-day all-cause readmissions, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] associated with late 30-day readmission, 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.42; p = 0.014). This association was not observed in the subset of 436 patients whose 30-day all-cause readmission was due to HF (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.28; p = 0.963), but was observed in the subset of 756 patients whose 30-day all-cause readmission was not due to HF (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.67; p = 0.002; p for interaction, 0.057). In conclusion, in a high-risk subset of older hospitalized HF patients readmitted within 30 days, readmission during 11 to 30 (vs 1 to 10) days was associated with a higher risk of death and this association appeared to be more pronounced in those readmitted for non–HF-related reasons.
Effectiveness of cold-serving units using two cold-holding methods in foodservice operations.

Effectiveness of two cold-holding methods commonly used to maintain temperatures of products held on cold-serving units (CSU) was determined by time-temperature and bacterial growth patterns of three products. Products used were bulk (2.27 kg) and portioned (100 g) cottage cheese, portioned (100 g) tuna salad, and deviled eggs halves (100 ± 10 g). All products were held on a cold-serving unit using the mechanical/ice cold-holding method (mechanical cooling used in combination with 3 to 10 cm ice) for 24 h (control; laboratory setting), as well as on three separate cold-serving units using the mechanical cold-holding method (at three university residence hall field sites under actual operating conditions) for 4 h (maximum length of service). Temperatures of all bulk and portioned products held on CSUs using the mechanical/ice cold-holding method (initial temperatures of food were 4 to 8.2°C) were >7.2°C after 2 h with a 50% load factor. When the mechanical cold-holding method was used, all portioned products (initial temperatures were 8.2 to 11°C) were <7.2°C after 2 h with a 75% load factor. Temperature differences between the mechanical and mechanical/ice cold-holding methods were attributed to ice on the cold-serving unit. The ice insulated the products from the mechanically cooled basin and allowed internal temperatures of the products to increase. Statistical significance for bacterial growth patterns was reported only for products held on cold-serving units using the mechanical/ice cold-holding method: mesophilic growth in deviled eggs (p<0.05) and psychrotrophic growth in tuna salad (p<0.001). As expected, bulk cottage cheese had a significantly higher temperature over time (p<0.05) than did portioned cottage cheese for both methods of cold-holding. Based on results of this study, portioned foods on cold-serving units should be held less than 2 h when the mechanical/ice cold-holding method is used, or up to 4 h when the mechanical cold-holding method is available.
Effects of Carrion Relocation on the Succession of Newly Arriving Adult Necrophilous Insects

Ecological succession of necrophilous insects follows a predictable sequence, related to their differential attraction to changing odor profiles associated with carrion and colonizing insects. However, the dependency of insect arrival on the duration of the carrion’s residency at a location has not been investigated. To assess the fidelity of necrophilous insects to carrion of specific decomposition ages, independent of its location, we monitored the decomposition of neonate pigs in one field and then simultaneously relocated carcasses of different decomposition ages to an ecologically similar but remote field. We examined the effects of decomposition age and relocation on the assembly of the necrophilous insect community, using a novel vented-chamber trap, which excluded all sensory cues except odors. Community composition differed over a 4-d decomposition period, showing that insects were differentially attracted to pigs of different decomposition ages. There was overall concordance between respective decomposition ages in the two fields, with similar relative abundances of taxa before and after transfer. Although different decomposition ages continued to attract different insects, differentiation of the necrophilous insect communities relative to the age of decomposition was less pronounced after transfer. The results of this study demonstrate that translocating a decomposing body to a new, but geographically and ecologically similar location continues the predicted insect succession, albeit with greater variance, based on olfactory cues alone. Several rare taxa were sampled only prior to relocation, including the first documentation of the invasive hairy maggot blow fly, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), in central North Carolina.
Assessing the Correlation Between Disease Severity Indices and Quality of Life Measurement Tools in Pemphigus

Pemphigus, an autoimmune blistering disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes, adversely impacts patients' quality of life (QOL). While there are various QOL measurement tools that can be used in this disease, few studies have assessed how a patient's change in disease severity can affect their QOL. This study aims to identify which disease severity index correlates best with the change in QOL. Fifty pemphigus patients completed QOL surveys with disease severity scored over two visits. QOL was assessed with the Autoimmune Bullous Disease Quality of Life (ABQOL), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Skindex-29, and Short Form Survey 36 (SF-36). Disease severity was scored with the Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI) and Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS). Correlations between the change in QOL scores and change in disease severity were analyzed using Spearman's coefficient (r). The change in PDAI showed a strong correlation (r = 0.60-0.79) with changes in the ABQOL, Skindex-29 symptoms (Skindex-S), and Skindex-29 functioning (Skindex-F) subscales for all patients (n = 50). For patients with mucosal disease (n = 24), the change in PDAI showed a strong correlation with changes in the ABQOL and Skindex-S subscale. For patients without mucosal disease, the change in PDAI showed a strong correlation with the Skindex-S. The change in ABSIS showed a strong correlation with Skindex-S for all patients and patients with no mucosal involvement, but showed no strong correlations for patients with mucosal involvement. The changes in PDAI always had a stronger correlation than the changes in ABSIS scores to changes in the ABQOL, DLQI, and Skindex-29 subscales, except where the PDAI and ABSIS scores were about the same for the Skindex-S subscale in patients with no mucosal involvement (r = 0.76 and r = 0.77, respectively). PDAI is superior to ABSIS in its correlation with validated QOL tools. The QOL tools that appear to be of most use in clinical trials and patient management are the Skindex-S and ABQOL.
A Haptic-enhanced New Approach to Laryngoscopy

Laryngoscopy or endotracheal intubation is a common medical procedure where a tube is passed into the lungs of patients for providing oxygen or other anesthetic gas. Improper intubation can be life threatening; hence, emphasis is laid on proper hand-eye coordination and an understanding of proper exertion of pressure on the patient’s body. This paper proposes a haptic-based implementation of endotracheal intubation to address shortcomings in existing approaches.
Knotty knits are tangles on tori

In this paper we outline a topological framework for constructing 2-periodic knitted stitches and an algebra for joining stitches together to form more complicated textiles. Our topological framework can be constructed from certain topological "moves" which correspond to "operations" that knitters make when they create a stitch. In knitting, unlike Jacquard weaves, a set of $n$ loops may be combined in topologically nontrivial ways to create $n$ stitches that are not pairwise associated. We define a \emph{swatch} as a construction that allows for these knitable knots.
A Flooded Thirsty World

New stories and images are necessary to bolster an ethical inquiry of climate change and mobilize climate action. But what form should such stories take? In this essay, I argue that speculative fic...
Temporal lobe epilepsy alters spatio-temporal dynamics of the hippocampal functional network

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is characterized by transient abnormal electrical activity originating in the hippocampus. The objective of this study was to characterize dynamic spatio-temporal fluctuations in hippocampal network connectivity in mTLE using functional connectivity (FC) mapping in 41 unilateral mTLE patients (28 right, 13 left) and 56 healthy control participants using 3T MRI. Dynamic FC was computed across the scan using sliding 60-s windows. This was compared to static FC computed using the whole 10-min functional MRI scan, and to the variance in the hippocampal functional MRI signal. Four states of healthy hippocampal dynamic FC were identified and compared to TLE patients. TLE patients fluctuated between these four states, but the hippocampus ipsilateral to the seizure focus spent more time in a state distinguished by lower prefrontal and parietal FC than the dominant healthy state. Increased time spent in this state was associated with increased impairment in static FC and increased variance in the hippocampal functional MRI signal. Overall, this work provides evidence that increases in variance in signal fluctuations occurring at the seizure focus in the hippocampus in patients with mTLE may contribute to disruptions in healthy FC network dynamics within an fMRI scan that contribute to decreases in static hippocampal FC. These alterations result in decreased hippocampal connectivity to bilateral prefrontal and parietal regions in TLE which may be related to behavior and cognitive impairments in these patients. Therefore, characterization of an individual patient's hippocampal dynamics at different time scales may provide more specific spatio-temporal profiles of network impairment that may be related to hippocampal dysfunction in TLE.
KOMB: Taxonomy-oblivious Characterization of Metagenome Dynamics via K-core Decomposition

Background: Taxonomic classification of microbiomes has provided tremendous insight into the underlying genome dynamics of microbial communities but has relied on known microbial genomes contained in curated reference databases. Methods: We propose K-core graph decomposition as a novel approach for tracking metagenome dynamics that is taxonomy-oblivious. K-core performs hierarchical decomposition which partitions the graph into shells containing nodes having degree at least K called K-shells, yielding O(E + V) complexity. Results: The results of the paper are two-fold: (1) KOMB can identify homologous regions efficiently in metagenomes, (2) KOMB reveals community profiles that capture intra- and inter-genome dynamics, as supported by our results on simulated, synthetic, and real data. Software Availability: KOMB is available for use on Linux systems at https://gitlab.com/treangenlab/komb.git
Surgical mini-incision treatment of patent ductus arteriosus of premature infants with titanium clip in 110 cases

Objective To investigate the clinical effects of surgical small incision treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants with titanium clip.Methods One hundred children received and cured by our hospital from January 2010 to January 2013 were divided into two groups.Group A:body weight ＞ 1.5 kg of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA),71 cases of premature children; group B:body weight ＜ 1.5 kg of low body weight preterm the children PDA,29 cases.The operations were performed in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU).The patient was placed in a lateral position with the left arm abduction under general anesthesia.A 1.5-2.5 cm long posterolateral mini-thoracotomy was made and the pleural cavity was entered via the 2-3rd intercostal space.The PDA was closed with two titanium clips.Results Ninety-nine cases were cured,1 died.2 residual shunt postoperatively.One patient on postoperative 5 day was found wound infected,wound healing after the use of antibiotics by intravenous.There was no significant difference in incidence of postoperative complications and mortality rate between group A and group B (P ＞ 0.05).Majority of children successfully weaned from the ventilator due to the rapid improvement of hemodynamics and lung conditions.In group B,mechanical ventilation time (12.6 ± 7.5) d and postoperative hospital stay (21.0 ± 15.4) d was significantly longer than group A ((9.6 ± 4.2) d and (12.0 ± 10.8) d),the difference between the two groups was significant (t =7.35,9.12,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion (1) It is a viable treatment that bedside minimally invasive titanium clip closed ductus arteriosus in preterm children PDA.(2) As the treatment of low body weight premature children is poor,the tolerance of the surgical trauma of the surgery as a minimally invasive,simple method is particularly suitable for low body weight premature children PDA. Key words: Patent ductus arteriosus ; Premature infant; Low-weight; Bedside-operation; Miniincision; Titanium clip
Photonic Integrated Circuit Based Beam Combining for Future Direct Diode Laser Systems

We demonstrate photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based beam combining methods for future direct diode laser systems. Both coherent and wavelength beam combining are realized through hybrid integration of gain chips with PICs.
The 2018 update of the US National Seismic Hazard Model: Additional period and site class data:

As part of the update of the 2018 National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for the conterminous United States (CONUS), new ground motion and site effect models for the central and eastern United States...
C2 quad-screws facilitate 4-rod fixation across the cervico-thoracic junction.

Background Cervical spine deformity is a potentially devitalizing problem. Contemporary techniques for repair and reconstruction include fusion using rods of tapered diameter alone, or quadruple-rod constructs in which primary rods are joined to floating accessory rods by connectors. Here, we present how we utilized a quadruple-rod construct to perform five C2 to thoracic spine fusions. Methods Our hospital electronic medical record revealed five patients who underwent the four rod C2-thoracic spine fixation. Patients ranged in age from 14-years-old to 78-years-old. The mean operative time was 715.8 min (range 549-987 min), and average estimated blood loss was 878 cc (range 40-1800 cc). Results None of the five patients sustained any intraoperative complications, and none demonstrated progressive kyphotic deformity over the average follow-up interval of 8 months. Conclusion We successfully treated five patients with degenerative or oncologic cervical pathology requiring fixation across the cervicothoracic junction utilizing a 4-rod C2-cervicothoracic fusion technique.
Marriage and Divorce Decline during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Five States

The decline in marriage and divorce was evident prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, but it remains unknown whether these patterns have persisted during the pandemic. The authors compare...
Infused Autograft Absolute Lymphocyte Count Predicts Superior Survival in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Patients Post-Autologous Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Matched Case-Control Study

ABSTRACT Our group published a double phase III trial showing that patients infused with an autograft absolute lymphocyte count (A-ALC) ≥0.5 × 109 cells/kg experienced superior survival post-autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (APBHSCT). Based on the results from our phase III study, as well as published retrospective studies, on April 1, 2017, our Bone Marrow Transplant Program changed our standard practice to collect an A-ALC ≥0.5 × 109 cells/kg in addition to stem cells for lymphoma patients undergoing APBHSCT. The primary objective of the present study was to continue to assess the prognostic ability of A-ALC by evaluating overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients who underwent APBHSCT after April 1, 2017, compared with matched control groups at a 1:1:1 ratio with DLBCL patients infused with an A-ALC