cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved internal defibrillation efficacy with a biphasic waveform

Clinically available automatic implantable defibrillators use a monophasic truncated exponential waveform shock; after delivery the charge remaining on the device's capacitors is "dumped" internally and wasted. The efficacy of a monophasic and biphasic truncated exponential defibrillation waveform produced by a single capacitor discharge was compared in seven closed-chest, pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. Defibrillation leads consisted of a new deployable intrapericardial electrode system. The monophasic waveform was positive and 6 msec in duration. The biphasic waveform had a positive phase identical to that of the monophasic waveform and a negative phase of equal duration with its initial voltage equal to 50% of the final voltage of the positive phase. Defibrillation shocks of varying initial voltage were delivered to construct curves of the percentage of successful defibrillation versus initial voltage and delivered energy, and the voltage and energy required for 50% (V50 and E50, respectively) and 80% (V80 and E80, respectively) success were compared. The biphasic waveform had significantly lower initial voltage (V50: 194 +/- 48 volts vs 227 +/- 48 volts, p less than 0.001; V80: 217 +/- 55 volts vs 256 +/- 66 volts, p less than 0.02) and energy (E50: 2.7 +/- 1.3 joules vs 3.4 +/- 1.5 joules, p less than 0.01; E80: 3.4 +/- 1.6 joules vs 4.3 +/- 2.2 joules, p less than 0.05) requirements than the monophasic waveform. It is concluded that a biphasic waveform produced by a single discharge that uses the "free" energy remaining on the capacitors significantly reduces the initial voltage and energy requirements for successful defibrillation and may improve the efficacy of future automatic implantable defibrillators.
Computational Fluid Dynamics of Fish Gill Rakers During Crossflow Filtration

We study crossflow filtration mechanisms in suspension-feeding fishes using computational fluid dynamics to model fluid flow and food particle movement in the vicinity of the gill rakers. During industrial and biological crossflow filtration, particles are retained when they remain suspended in the mainstream flow traveling across the filter surface rather than traveling perpendicularly to the filter. Here we identify physical parameters and hydrodynamic processes that determine food particle movement and retention inside the fish oral cavity. We demonstrate how five variables affect flow patterns and particle trajectories: (1) flow speed inside the fish oral cavity, (2) incident angle of the flow approaching the filter, (3) dimensions of filter structures, (4) particle size, and (5) particle density. Our study indicates that empirical experiments are needed to quantify flow parameters inside the oral cavity, and morphological research is needed to quantify dimensions of the filter apparatus such as gill rakers, the gaps between rakers, and downstream barriers. Ecological studies on suspension-feeding fishes are also needed to quantify food particle size and density, as these variables can affect particle retention due to hydrodynamic processes during crossflow filtration.
Signaling mechanisms of elevated neutrophil O2- generation after burn injury.

A full skin thickness burn injury was produced in anesthetized rats by exposing 25% of total body surface area to 98°C water for 10 s. Sham (exposed to 37°C water) and burn rats were killed 1, 3, 7, or 10 days later. The role of Ca2+signaling and Ca2+-related protein kinase C (PKC) activation in neutrophil O 2 − generation was ascertained by evaluating the effect of treatment of the rats with the Ca2+ entry blocker, diltiazem. There was an overt enhancement of O 2 − generation by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from burn rats on days 1, 3, and 7 postburn, with the peak release occurring on day 3 postburn. O 2 − generation comparable to the sham was noted on day 10 after the burn. O 2 − releases ondays 1, 3, and 7 postburn were accompanied by marked elevation of Ca i 2 + and PKC responses. Like the O 2 − release, intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) response on day 10 after burn was suppressed to levels found in the sham group. The treatment of burn rats with diltiazem prevented the upregulation of both...
Child Poverty, Child Care, and Children’s Rights

Child poverty and the lack of rights accorded to young children in the United States are framed within a broader, international, human rights context. Persistent poverty and the lack of access to high-quality child care are analyzed as pervasive threats to young children’s well-being and healthy development. Brief narratives of homeless children and of mothers desperate for affordable, accessible, child care are presented in the context of the current harsh realities of poverty and inequality, in order to demonstrate the existential impact of poverty on vulnerable children and their families. The dominant instrumentalist cost-benefit discourse about child poverty is juxtaposed against a rights discourse with a specific emphasis on child care as a human right—anchored in international human rights conventions; specifically the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Recommendations for public policies that would end child poverty and create universal structures of care for young children are discussed.
Modeling flight

The author described a program, which provides a framework and a simple set of generic equations that may be used to simulate the in-flight characteristics of a conventional aircraft. Secondarily, the model will have realistic behavior when compared to existing aircraft. The implementation is explained by describing the major areas that constitute the model. These areas are: constants, aircraft parameters, variables, model equations, time history calculations, control input, and graphical presentation. The simulation will run, in real-time, on an IBM PC/AT class of computer. The model framework is sufficiently robust to allow the accuracy and completeness of the simulation to be modified and extended. >
Relaxation Dynamics of 8'-Apo-β-Caroten-8'-al: Excitation Energy Dependence

Infrared and visible transient absorption measurements of the carotenoid 8'-apo-β-caroten-8'-al following the direct S1excitation and the hot S2excitation show a distinct relaxation dynamics which generates a long-lived species.
Pull-through sialodochoplasty for Stensen's megaduct

account for 15 – 25% of obstructive salivary disease.. The presence of fibrous intraductal circular or web-like inclusions and moderate luminal narrowing have a higher tendency to form megaducts due to a reservoir effect. Megaducts are defined as a Stensen’s ducts with diameters exceeding 10mm, often with thin walls that contribute to the gland’s weak excretory force. In addition to the obstructive symptoms, megaducts pose a cosmetic problem as they frequently appear as a bulge on the patient’s cheek. Besides interventional sialendoscopy, no other effective and glandpreserving treatment has been described in the literature. The purpose of this report is to describe a novel approach to patients with symptomatic Stensen’s ductal stenosis with concurrent megaducts. Introduction
The Differential Effect of Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis with Anaclitic and Introjective Patients: The Menninger Psychotherapy Research Project Revisited:

Analyses of the data from the Menninger Psychotherapy Research Project (MPRP) have consistently indicated little difference in the therapeutic outcome between patients seen in psychoanalysis and those seen in psychotherapy. Reanalysis of the data from the MPRP, utilizing a distinction between two broad configurations of psychopathology (Blatt, 1974, 1990a; Blatt and Shichman, 1983), however, indicates that patients whose pathology focuses primarily on disruptions of interpersonal relatedness and who use primarily avoidant defenses (anaclitic patients), and patients whose pathology focuses primarily on issues of self-definition, autonomy, and selfworth and who use primarily counteractive defenses (introjective patients) differ in their responsiveness to psychotherapy and psycho-analysis. Based on recently developed procedures for systematically evaluating the quality of object representation on the Rorschach, reanalysis of the Menninger data reveals that anaclitic patients have significantly greater positive change in psychotherapy, while introjective patients have significantly greater positive change in psychoanalysis. These statistically significant patient-by-treatment interactions are discussed in terms of their clinical implications as well as the importance of differentiating among types of patients in studies of therapeutic outcome and of therapeutic process.
Filtering modification of vibration signal integration algorism

Vibration signal of acceleration and velocity can be transferred into vibration signal of displacement with software integration algorithm in machinery fault diagnosis.In order to eliminate the affection of noise in software integration,the reasons causing trend term of integration results are analyzed and a frequency domain integration algorithm based on transducer low frequency filtering and threshold filtering is introduced.It is a simple and effective method,can remove swinging trend term of the integration results.Numerical simulation results and test results show that this method has good precision for the vibration analysis and it has been used in the on-line condition monitoring and fault diagnosis system for the rotating machinery,and provided accurate data and information for estimating the running condition.
Clinical Analysis of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in 20 Children

Objective To explore the clinical features and prognosis factors of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(HLH) in children.Methods Twenty children with HLH from Apr.2009 to May 2010 were retrospectively analyzed,their clinical features,the results of blood routine,liver function,blood biochemicaltest,pathogens,T-cells and natural killer(NK) cells,serum ferritins and bone marrow smear were detected.The dignosis and treatment were according to HLH-2004 protocol.Results Main clinical features included persistent fever,hepatosplenomegaly,lymphadenopathy,hemorrage and NK cell proportion.Characteristic laboratory findings: 12 children decreased neutrophil(1.0×109 L-1),16 children decreased hemoglobin(90 g·L-1),18 children decreased platelet(100×109 L-1),18 children cytopenia 2 cell lines and 12 children cytopenia 3 cell lines in peripheral blood,20 children had increased serum alamine aminiotrasferase,18 children had increased glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase,20 children had increased lactate dehydrogenase,13 children had increased cholinesterase,and 18 children had increased triacylglycerol.Eight children had increased serum ferritin,9 children had increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate,11 children had increased C-reactive protein and 12 children decreased NK cell.Seventeen children bone marrow were hyperplasia,3 children were hypoplasia and 12 cases hemophagocytosis in bone marrow.Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)-CA-IgM positive were 3 cases and cytomegalovirus(CMV)-IgM positive were 4 cases and pseadomonas aeruginosa was 1 case in 20 children.Treatments and effects: 20 cases received antivirus,high dose of immunoglobin,glucocorticoid and etoposide treatment,3 cases cured,15 cases improved,2 case discharged automaticly because of bad effect.Conclusion The clinical symptoms of HLH are multiple and diagnosis and therapy of HLH in time is important.
Tris (dibenzylideneacetone) dipalladium: a small-molecule palladium complex is effective in inducing apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia B-cells

Here we tested impact of Tris (dibenzylideneacetone) dipalladium (Tris-DBA) on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B-cell survival. Indeed, treatment of CLL B-cells with Tris-DBA induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner irrespective of IgVH mutational status. Further analyses suggest that Tris-DBA-induced apoptosis involves reduced expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-xL, and XIAP with an upregulation of the pro-apoptotic protein BIM in CLL B-cells. Our findings also indicate that Tris-DBA targets the ribosomal protein (rp)-S6, an essential component of the Akt/mTOR signaling axis in CLL B-cells. Of interest, CLL bone marrow stromal cells were unable to protect the leukemic B cells from Tris-DBA-induced apoptosis in an in vitro co-culture system. Finally, co-administration of Tris-DBA and the purine nucleoside analog fludarabine (F-ara-A) augmented CLL B-cell apoptosis levels in vitro showing synergistic effects. In total, Tris-DBA is effective at inducing apoptosis in CLL B-cells even in the presence of stromal cells likely by targeting directly the signal mediator, rpS6.
Advances in postoperative pain management: the pharmacy perspective

PURPOSE: The pharmacist's role in promoting proper use of analgesic drug therapies, by ensuring that Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards for pain management are met, evaluating new analgesic options for formulary addition, and conducting medication-use evaluations, outcomes research, and pharmacoeconomic analyses, is discussed. SUMMARY: Pharmacists can be instrumental in meeting JCAHO requirements for educating clinical staff and patients about pain management practices and monitoring compliance with JCAHO pain management standards. They also can thoroughly evaluate new analgesic drug therapies and delivery systems for formulary addition by reviewing published literature and manufacturers' data and conducting medication-use evaluations, outcomes research, and pharmacoeconomic analyses. Cost-effectiveness analysis is the most common among the four types of pharmacoeconomic analyses, which include cost-minimization analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and cost-utility analysis. A ten-step process is used in conducting pharmacoeconomic analyses to increase the validity of the results. CONCLUSION: Implementation of new analgesic drug delivery technologies, such as an elastomeric infusion pump (a device for continuous wound infiltration with a local anesthetic), a needle-free transdermal patient-controlled analgesia system, and a new sustained-release, liposome-encapsulated form of morphine for epidural injection, offers new postoperative pain management alternatives for patients and clinical staff and involves unique considerations for pharmacists.
The Demographic Transformation of Post-Socialist Countries Causes, Consequences, and Questions

In May 2006, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced a radical new pack-age of pronatalist policies designed to halt, and possibly reverse, the steep decline in Russia’s birth rate over the past 15 years. The package included increased child benefits, longer maternity leave, and a payment of over US$9,000 to each woman who has a second child. While economists and demographers have long debated the efficacy of such pronatalist government policies in raising birth rates, the intention of this package of measures was clear—to stop the large declines in population that have affected Russia since the early 1990s.
Mythic and Non-Mythic Artists in Ovid's Metamorphoses

The interpretation of Ovid's epic that is argued here has three related parts that have not been drawn together before:I. Ovid's panoramic presentation of myth, the Metamorphoses, presents provocative reflections in dramatic guise concerning human psychology, society, and art. Ovid is an engaged poet as well as an amusing one.II. The Metamorphoses include, under the mantle of myth, pointed criticisms of the Emperor Augustus and his program of social, spiritual, and religious reform.III. Stories about artists in the Metamorphoses were invented or elaborated by Ovid in order to illustrate the primacy of art and its spiritual value. Respect for love, truth, and human wisdom counts for more than fealty to the artifice of the new Rome.The relevance of these parts to each other and their consequences will be made clear in the Conclusion (IV), which examines the function of art in life for Ovid and his hopes for permanence in a world of transitions.
Measurement of SBS phase jumps and reflectivity fluctuations during an individual pulse in gaseous SBS media

We have observed temporal fluctuations in the stimulated Brillouin scattered (SBS) reflected power and complementary changes with the opposite sign in the depleted pump power, during an individual laser pulse. This behavior, shown in Fig. 1, was predicted1 by a computer model. These fluctuations are macroscopic manifestations of sudden phase jumps of ~π in the noise-generated Stokes electric field that initiates and sustains the stimulated scattering process. Similar fluctuations have been observed in Raman scattering by us and by many others.
Efficient mmWave wireless backhauling for dense small-cell deployments

Dense small-cell deployments of 5G networks require a wireless backhaul to efficiently connect the small cells to the macro base station (BS). We envision a wireless backhaul architecture where cells are grouped into clusters. One small cell per cluster plays the role of a cluster head connecting the rest of the small cells to the macro cell via a mmWave MIMO link. We formulate the problem of jointly selecting the cluster heads and the number of BS antennas dedicated to each mmWave MIMO link between the BS and each cluster head as a mixed integer nonlinear program (MINLP) and prove its NP-hardness. We propose a Alternate Convex Search Heuristic (ACSH) to handle the tradeoff between having faster backhaul links versus having more cluster heads and show it is near-optimal via extensive simulations. Last, we show that our heuristic has a 20%–50% performance gain compared to prior work.
SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS IN MACULA-INVOLVING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS RETINITIS.

Purpose To evaluate the microstructural features of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods Subjects were patients with macula-involving CMV retinitis with OCT imaging. The leading edge of retinitis in the macula was identified based on fundus imaging, and OCT findings were longitudinally evaluated in three areas: within the area of active retinitis, at the leading edge of retinitis, and just beyond the leading edge of retinitis. Results Optical coherence tomography imaging of macular CMV retinitis identified vitreous cells in 10 eyes (100%), posterior vitreous detachment in four eyes (40%), broad-based vitreomacular traction in one eye (10%), epiretinal membrane in eight eyes (80%), and lamellar hole-associated epiretinal proliferation associated with an atrophic hole in one eye (10%). Retinal architectural disruption, disruption of inner retinal layers, disruption of the external limiting membrane, and ellipsoid zone abnormalities were noted within the area of retinitis in all eyes and decreased in frequency and severity at and beyond the leading edge of retinitis, although all 10 eyes (100%) exhibited one of these abnormalities, especially outer retinal microabnormalities, beyond the leading edge of retinitis. Conclusion Microstructural abnormalities were frequently noted on OCT of CMV retinitis, including within the retina beyond the leading edge of retinitis identified by corresponding fundus imaging. Outer retinal abnormalities were noted more frequently than inner retinal abnormalities beyond the leading edge of retinitis. These findings provide insight into the effects of CMV retinitis on retinal microstructure and potentially on vision and highlight the potential utility of OCT for monitoring microprogression of macula-involving CMV retinitis.
Bi2Se3 van der Waals Virtual Substrates for II-VI Heterostructures.

We report on the growth and characterization of optical quality multiple quantum well structures of Zn x Cd1-x Se/Zn x Cd y Mg1-x-y Se on an ultra-thin Bi2Se3/CdTe virtual substrate on c-plane Al2O3 (sapphire). Excellent quality highly oriented films grown along the (111) direction were achieved as evidenced by reflection high energy electron diffraction and X-ray diffraction studies. We also observed room temperature and 77 K photoluminescence emission with peak energies at 77 K of 2.407 eV and linewidths of 56 meV comparable to those achieved on structures grown on InP. Exfoliation of the structures is also possible due to the van der Waals bonding of Bi2Se3. Exfoliated (substrate free) films exhibit photoluminescence emission nearly identical to that of the supported film. Additionally, contactless electroreflectance measurements show good agreement with simulations of the multiple quantum well structure as well as evidence of excited state levels. These results open new avenues of research for substrate independent epitaxy and the possibility of ultra-thin electronics.
May-Thurner Syndrome: Diagnosis and Management

Compression of the left common iliac vein by the overlying right common iliac artery has become an increasingly common finding in the era of advanced imaging modalities, albeit with a benign course in most individuals. However, patients with significant vein compression are at risk of developing May-Thurner syndrome, defined as unilateral left leg swelling or acute iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis in conjunction with this venous compression. The development of symptoms is likely due to a combination of venous outflow obstruction and chronic intraluminal damage to the affected vein. Although identifiable by less invasive imaging, pathologic compression of the left iliac vein is best identified by venography with intravascular ultrasound, which has become the gold standard for diagnosis and is useful in guiding therapy. Iliocaval stenting has become the standard treatment for this condition and is associated with excellent patency rates and clinical outcomes.
Polydrug epidemiology: Benzodiazepine prescribing and the drug overdose epidemic in the United States

BACKGROUND Although polydrug incidents comprise a substantial proportion of overdose deaths, scholarly and popular focus has centered on prescription opiates. This study examines the role of benzodiazepine and opioid prescriptions on overdose-both individually and synergistically-using data from Medicare Part D, a source of prescription drug claims for about 35 million Americans. METHODS Prescribing data from the Medicare Part D Public Use Files for 2013, 2014, and 2015 (approximately 3.5 billion prescription drug claims) are geolocated using the prescriber's national provider identifier to calculate the proportion of claims for opioids and benzodiazepines in each county. These rates are matched with overdose data and controls to compile an analytic dataset of 9105 county-years. Multinomial logistic regression is used to estimate the probability that a county experiences higher rates of overdose fatalities. RESULTS A 1% increase in the benzodiazepine proportion of claims is associated with 1.2 odds of high, versus low, overdose (P < .1) and 1.4 odds of very high overdose (P < .05). Moreover, there was a substantial interaction between opioids and benzodiazepines (P < .001). A county with 6% benzodiazepine prescriptions and 12% opioid prescriptions has a .58 predicted probability of very high overdose, significantly higher (P < .001) than the .33 probability for a county with 12% opioid prescriptions but 3% benzodiazepine prescriptions. CONCLUSION These findings shed light on the polydrug epidemiology of the overdose epidemic. Overdose deaths are highest where elevated opioid and benzodiazepine claims coexist. Overdose levels may reflect polydrug use and misuse, requiring clinical and policy responses beyond reducing opioid prescriptions.
Effect of Heat Exposure on the Fatigue Properties of AA7050 Friction Stir Welds

This work examines the effect of heat exposure on the subsequent monotonic and fatigue properties of friction stir-welded AA7050. Mechanical characterization tests were conducted on friction stir-welded specimens as-welded (AW) and specimens heated to 315 °C in air for 20 min. Monotonic testing revealed high joint efficiencies of 98% (UTS) in the AW specimens and 60% in the heat-damaged (HD) specimens. Experimental results of strain-controlled fatigue testing revealed shorter fatigue lives for the HD coupons by nearly a factor of four, except for the highest strain amplitude tested. Postmortem fractography analysis found similar crack initiation or propagation behavior between the AW and HD specimens; however, the failure locations for the AW were predominantly in the heat-affected zone, while the HD specimens also failed in the stir zone. Microhardness measurements revealed a relatively uniform strength profile in the HD group, accounting for the variety of failure locations observed. The differences in both monotonic and cyclic properties observed between the AW and HD specimens support the conclusion that the heat damage (315 °C at 20 min) acts as an over-aging and a quasi-annealing treatment.
The Presence of Ethics Codes and Employees’ Internal Locus of Control, Social Aversion/Malevolence, and Ethical Judgment of Incivility: A Study of Smaller Organizations

Workplace incivility is a current challenge in organizations, including smaller firms, as is the development of programs that enhance employees’ treatment of coworkers and ethical decision making. Ethics programs in particular might attenuate tendencies toward interpersonal misconduct, which can harm ethical reasoning. Consequently, this study evaluated the relationships among the presence of ethics codes and employees’ locus of control, social aversion/malevolence, and ethical judgments of incivility using information secured from a sample of businesspersons employed in smaller organizations (N = 189). Results indicated that ethics code presence was associated with a more internal locus of control and stronger ethical judgment of workplace incivility. Social aversion/malevolence was negatively related to ethical judgment, and internal locus of control was positively related to ethical judgment. Smaller firms should develop ethics codes to manage individuals’ perceptions of control, thus encouraging enhanced ethical reasoning in situations that involve the mistreatment of coworkers; they should also monitor counterproductive tendencies that harm such reasoning and precipitate incivility.
A synoptic survey of select wastewater-tracer compounds and the pesticide imidacloprid in Florida’s ambient freshwaters

Current wastewater treatment technologies do not remove many unregulated hydrophilic compounds, and there is growing interest that low levels of these compounds, referred to as emerging contaminants, may impact human health and the environment. A probabilistic-designed monitoring network was employed to infer the extent of Florida’s ambient freshwaters containing the wastewater (Includes reuse water, septic systems leachate, and wastewater treatment effluent.) indicators sucralose, acetaminophen, carbamazepine, and primidone and those containing the widely used pesticide imidacloprid. Extent estimates with 95% confidence bounds are provided for canals, rivers, streams, small and large lakes, and unconfined aquifers containing ultra-trace concentrations of these compounds as based on analyses of 2015 sample surveys utilizing 528 sites. Sucralose is estimated to occur in greater than 50% of the canal, river, stream, and large lake resource extents. The pharmaceuticals acetaminophen, carbamazepine, and primidone are most prevalent in rivers, with approximately 30% of river kilometers estimated to contain at least one of these compounds. Imidacloprid is estimated to occur in 50% or greater of the canal and river resource extents, and it is the only compound found to exceed published toxicity or environmental effects standards. Geospatial analyses show sucralose detection frequencies within Florida’s drainage basins to be significantly related to the percentage of urban land use (R2 = 0.36, p < 0.001), and imidacloprid detection frequencies to be significantly related to the percentage of urban and agricultural land use (R2 = 0.47, p < 0.001). The extent of the presence of these compounds highlights the need for additional emerging contaminant studies especially those examining effects on aquatic biota.
Ready for prime time? Dual tracer PET and SPECT imaging

Dual isotope single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and dual tracer positron emission tomography (PET) imaging have great potential in clinical and molecular applications in the pediatric as well as the adult populations in many areas of brain, cardiac, and oncologic imaging as it allows the exploration of different physiological and molecular functions (e.g., perfusion, neurotransmission, metabolism, apoptosis, angiogenesis) under the same physiological and physical conditions. This is crucial when the physiological functions studied depend on each other (e.g., perfusion and metabolism) hence requiring simultaneous assessment under identical conditions, and can reduce greatly the quantitation errors associated with physical factors that can change between acquisitions (e.g., human subject or animal motion, change in the attenuation map as a function of time) as is detailed in this editorial. The clinical potential of simultaneous dual isotope SPECT, dual tracer PET and dual SPECT/PET imaging are explored and summarized. In this issue of AJNMMI (http://www.ajnmmi.us), Chapman et al. explore the feasibility of simultaneous and sequential SPECT/PET imaging and conclude that down-scatter and crosstalk from 511 keV photons preclude obtaining useful SPECT information in the presence of PET radiotracers. They report on an alternative strategy that consists of performing sequential SPECT and PET studies in hybrid microPET/SPECT/CT scanners, now widely available for molecular imaging. They validate their approach in a phantom consisting of a 96-well plate with variable (99m)Tc and (18)F concentrations and illustrate the utility of such approaches in two sequential SPECT-PET/CT studies that include (99m)Tc-MAA/(18)F-NaF and (99m)Tc-Pentetate/(18)F-NaF. These approaches will need to be proven reproducible, accurate and robust to variations in the experimental conditions before they can be accepted by the molecular imaging community and be implemented in routine molecular microPET and microSPECT explorations. Although currently not accepted as standard procedures in the molecular imaging community, such approaches have the potential to open the way to new SPECT/PET explorations that allow studying molecular mechanisms and pathways in the living animal under similar physiological conditions. Although still premature for the clinical setting, these approaches can be extended to clinical research once proven accurate and precise in vivo in small and large animal models.
Disarticulation and the Crisis of Neoliberalism in the United States

Neoliberal policies instituted since the 1980s have transformed the United States economy in ways that have produced serious structural distortions in the basic operation of capitalism. Using Samir...
HIV Conspiracy Theory Beliefs Mediates the Connection between HIV Testing Attitudes and HIV Prevention Self-Efficacy.

AbstractObjective: High rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be found in states in both the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United ...
A randomized controlled trial of a novel artificial-intelligence based smartphone application to optimize the management of cancer-related pain.

76Background: Cancer pain affects 70-90% of advanced malignancy patients, resulting in impaired quality of life and increased healthcare utilization. Novel care delivery models are needed to optimize care for patients dealing with cancer-related pain in between clinic visits. ePAL is a smartphone application(app) that regularly monitors pain and uses artificial intelligence(AI) to differentiate urgent from non-urgent issues to intercede in real time. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to determine ePAL's impact on pain severity, attitudes toward cancer treatment, and healthcare utilization in patients with cancer pain. Methods: MGH Palliative Care Clinic Patients with pain from metastatic, solid-organ cancer (n=112) were recruited and randomized to either a control group (n=56) that received usual care or an intervention group (n=56) that used the ePAL app in addition to usual care for 8 weeks. The app assessed pain 3 times/week and questionnaires about pain (BPI), attitudes towards cance...
Institutional volume affects long-term survival following lung transplantation in the USA.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of institutional volume on long-term outcomes following lung transplantation (LTx) in the USA. METHODS Adults undergoing LTx were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing registry. Patients were divided into equal size tertiles according to the institutional volume. All-cause mortality following LTx was evaluated using the risk-adjusted multivariable Cox regression and the Kaplan-Meier analyses, and compared between these volume cohorts at 3 points: 90 days, 1 year (excluding 90-day deaths) and 10 years (excluding 1-year deaths). Lowess smoothing plots and receiver-operating characteristic analyses were performed to identify optimal volume thresholds associated with long-term survival. RESULTS A total of 13 370 adult LTx recipients were identified. The mean annual centre volume was 33.6 ± 20.1. After risk adjustment, low-volume centres were found to be at increased risk for 90-day mortality, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.56, P < 0.001], 1-year mortality excluding 90-day deaths (HR 1.46, P < 0.001) and 10-year mortality excluding 1-year deaths (HR 1.22, P < 0.001). These findings persisted when the centre volume was modelled as a continuous variable. The Kaplan-Meier analysis also demonstrated significant reductions in survival at each of these time points for low-volume centres (each P < 0.001). The 10-year survival conditional on 1-year survival was 37.4% in high-volume centres vs 28.0% in low-volume centres (P < 0.001). The optimal annual volume threshold for long-term survival was 26 LTx/year. CONCLUSIONS The institutional volume impacts long-term survival following LTx, even after excluding deaths within the first post-transplant year. Identifying the processes of care that lead to longer survival in high-volume centres is prudent.
Comparing breeds of sheep in the feedlot or on pasture and in the feedlot

A terminal sire study was conducted to evaluate production and carcass traits of Texcl sired offspring compared to Suffolk and Columbia offspring. Breeding and lambing occurred on pastures during a 2-yr study. The Iambs were weaned at an average age of 70 and 94 d and allocated to one of two finishing programs. The finishing programs were 1) direct to feedlot (FPl) and 2) pasture followed by feedlot (FP2). Lambs were slaughtered at an average weight of 57.8 kg. Birth weights, weaning weights and pre-weaning daily gains of lambs sired by Texel rams were similar to Iambs sired by Suffolk rams but greater (P < .05) than Iambs sired by Columbia rams. However, survival to weaning for Iambs sired by Texel, Suffolk or Colxmibia rams did not differ. In a pasture lambing system an estimated $19.21 per ewe per year was saved through feed costs alone, as compared to more intensive shed lambing systems. After weaning Suffolk sired lambs gained faster (P < .01) than Columbia and Texel sired lambs. Post-weaning average daily gains were greater (P < .01) in FP 1 than FP2 and led to an increase of 31 d to reach slaughter weight for lambs that initially grazed as compared to Iambs placed directly in the feedlot. Texel crossbred lamb carcasses had larger (P < .01) loineye area (LEA) than Suffolk and Columbia Iamb carcasses. Backfat (BF) was also higher (P < .05) in Texel than Suffolk crossbred Iambs. Body wall thickness (B WT) Was less (P <. 10) in Texel and Suffolk crossbred lamb carcasses than Columbia lamb carcasses. Dressing percentage and quality" grades were similar across sire breeds. Lambs finished in FP2 had more LEA (P < .05), and less BF (P < .10) and BWT (P < .01) than lambs finished in FP I. It was concluded that Texel rams used in a forage-based lambing system might have some potential for increasing lean mass in their offspring. However,
Extraterritoriality in the Public and Private Enforcement of U.S. Regulatory Law

The extraterritorial application of U.S. regulatory law has been the focus of significant scholarly attention in recent years, particularly in the context of private claims. However, the geographic scope of regulatory law is an issue in other contexts as well, since the enforcement of regulatory law in the United States depends on a blend of administrative proceedings, criminal proceedings, and private litigation. The goal of this essay is to consider the current state of extraterritoriality analysis across the different modes of enforcement. It examines an emerging differentiation in the application of federal statutes to private claims, on the one hand, and in public enforcement proceedings (both civil and criminal), on the other. The essay traces this phenomenon to two shifts. The first relates to a question requiring unilateral analysis: how to define the scope of a particular statute. In several areas of federal regulatory law, the geographic scope of statutes is no longer defined consistently across enforcement contexts. Rather, it has been defined more narrowly in private claims than in proceedings initiated by public authorities. The second shift relates to a question requiring multilateral analysis: whether and how the determination to apply local law should account for the interests of other states. In a variety of ways, public regulators consider such interests when deciding whether to initiate investigations and proceedings in cases involving significant foreign elements. In private enforcement, by contrast, the case-specific consideration of other states’ interests has fallen out of favor. As a result of these shifts, several U.S. statutes are now less likely to be applied extraterritorially in private litigation than in public enforcement proceedings, diminishing the role of private enforcement in the transnational arena.
Phase space trajectories generated under coupling between a dynamic system and a thermal reservoir

We analyze the phase space trajectories generated under coupling between a dynamic system and a thermal reservoir which generates a fluctuating as well as dissipative force field. We argue that the phase space trajectory of particles associated with intermediate equilibrium states under heat transfer possess a symmetric form, while the corresponding trajectory is asymmetric in energy transfer as work. The new perspective can help in developing a closed form expression of heat and work at microscopic dimensions with a few degrees of freedom. We also present a novel mathematical model of thermal reservoir as a dynamic system described using a transfer function comprising of a set of zeros. It addresses the theoretical weaknesses of current models of a thermal reservoir comprising of a collection of harmonic oscillators.
Pre-output Language Monitoring in Sign Production.

A domain-general monitoring mechanism is proposed to be involved in overt speech monitoring. This mechanism is reflected in a medial frontal component, the error negativity (Ne), present in both er...
Posterior chest wall reconstruction: A novel approach

Traditional access for open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of posterior rib fractures occurs through either a posterior lateral thoracotomy or posterior paramedian approach. We report the case of severe blunt chest wall injury reconstruction using the novel implementation of an Opening Wedge Thoracostomy (OWT) approach. This approach is conventionally indicated for expansion thoracostomy in the surgical management of scoliosis. The OWT approach facilitates chest wall reconstruction vis-a-vis reflection of the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles providing excellent exposure of the posterior thoracic cage facilitating surgical reduction and fixation. Satisfactory stability of the posterior chest is not achievable using previously described approaches. OWT approach exposure for posterior thoracic reconstruction absents the surveyed literature.
Radiation-Induced Insufficiency Fractures After Pelvic Irradiation for Gynecologic Malignancies: A Systematic Review.

Purpose To identify and define the incidence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and treatment approaches to pelvic insufficiency fractures (PIFs) that develop as a consequence of pelvic radiation therapy for gynecologic malignancies. Materials and Methods A systematic literature review (PubMed and Embase indexed from January 1, 1980, to May 1, 2020) of studies describing PIFs that result from radiation therapy for gynecologic malignancies. A random-effects model weighted by the inverse variance was used to calculate the pooled crude incidence, actuarial incidence, and proportion of symptomatic PIFs, and to evaluate the relationship between PIF incidence and various risk factors. Results Thirty-eight studies describing PIFs following radiation therapy for gynecologic malignancies were reviewed. A meta-analysis of 6488 patients (37 studies) identified the crude incidence of PIF as 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8%-12.4%), and a meta-analysis of 2131 patients (9 studies) identified the 5-year actuarial incidence of PIF as 15.3% (95% CI 7.5%-25.0%). Factors that significantly correlated with increased risk of PIF development included evidence of osteoporosis (P Conclusions PIFs cause significant morbidity in gynecologic cancer patients after radiation therapy. In this systematic review, we discuss the incidence and risk factors associated with PIF development as it relates to the different detection methods, radiation techniques, doses, and gynecologic cancers treated. Additional studies are needed to further define prevention and treatment approaches for insufficiency fractures.
On the Evolution and Interaction of Dispersion-Managed Solitons

The dynamics of localized optical pulses in a strongly dispersion-managed fiber-optic communication system is studied. A multiscale expansion on a perturbed nonlinear Schrodinger equation (PNLS) that includes the effects of loss, amplification and dispersion management, is employed, and the dynamics of the pulse in the Fourier domain is decomposed into a rapidly varying phase and slowly evolving amplitude. The fast component is calculated exactly, and a nonlocal equation for the slow evolution of the amplitude is derived. The equation admits a two-parameter class of traveling wave solutions, called dispersion-managed solitons. A comparison with numerical solutions of the original PNLS equation is discussed. The evolution and interactions of these solitons are studied via numerical simulations of both the nonlocal NLS and the PNLS equations. It is found that interaction can lead to serious nonadiabatic effects and soliton collapse. Pulse interactions are found to be strongly dependent upon the values of the system parameters.
Building a LITT Practice

MRI thermometry-guided laser thermocoagulation (LITT) ablates pathologic tissue in the brain via a narrow approach corridor allowing otherwise surgically inaccessible targets to be reliably ablated with real-time feedback and allowing intracranial ablation to be performed with minimal invasiveness even for more accessible targets. This technique is a tour de force of neurosurgical technology requiring the coordination of institution-wide resources for success including the operating suite, anesthesiology, radiology, pathology, and inpatient and outpatient services. The return on this investment is high: in addition to profound surgical benefits for select patients, LITT offers shorter lengths of hospital stay, increased patient comfort and satisfaction, and decreased patient and caregiver stress. Making LITT available to those who can benefit from it requires coordinating diverse resources to build a successful practice.
Improving Compliance in the Use of Medication Guardrails with “Smart” Infusion Pump Technology in the NICU.

Smart intravenous pumps can be useful to prevent medication errors. These pumps have libraries of medications that associate the patient’s weight with infusion guiderails that allow for fixed dosing parameters. The library of medications house all the specific medication concentrations available within the institution and associate these with allowable rates of administration. When the guardrail is breached, the nurse is notified with a soft stop during the programming that the maximum …
On composition of bounded-recall plans

Abstract The article studies the ability of agents with bounded memory to execute consecutive composition of plans. It gives an upper limit on the amount of memory required to execute the composed plans and shows that the limit cannot be improved. Furthermore, the article shows that there are, essentially, no other universal properties of plans for bounded-recall agents expressible through the relation “there is a plan for an agent with a given memory size to navigate from one given set of states to another”.
Augmentation-Interpolative AutoEncoders for Unsupervised Few-Shot Image Generation

We aim to build image generation models that generalize to new domains from few examples. To this end, we first investigate the generalization properties of classic image generators, and discover that autoencoders generalize extremely well to new domains, even when trained on highly constrained data. We leverage this insight to produce a robust, unsupervised few-shot image generation algorithm, and introduce a novel training procedure based on recovering an image from data augmentations. Our Augmentation-Interpolative AutoEncoders synthesize realistic images of novel objects from only a few reference images, and outperform both prior interpolative models and supervised few-shot image generators. Our procedure is simple and lightweight, generalizes broadly, and requires no category labels or other supervision during training.
Injection Reactions after Administration of Sustained-release Meloxicam to BALB/cJ, C57BL/6J, and Crl:CD1(ICR) Mice

The sustained-release formulation of meloxicam (MSR) is a compounded NSAID that may provide pain relief for as long as 72 h after administration. MSR injection-site skin reactions have occurred in several species but have not previously been observed in mice. We investigated the development and progression of localized skin reactions after a single injection of MSR in Crl:CD1(ICR), C57BL/6J, and BALB/cJ mice. Each mouse received a subcutaneous injection of MSR (n = 60), standard-formulation meloxicam (MEL; n = 24) or saline (control; SC; n = 24) and was scored daily according to a 5-point system for erythema and mass characteristics. Mice were euthanized at either 7 or 14 d after injection and underwent postmortem analysis. MSR-treated mice had more erythematous and mass reactions than did MEL and SC mice. Mass lesions developed in 49 MSR mice (82%; 95% CI, 70% to 90%), 5 MEL animals (21%; 95% CI, 7% to 42%), and 1 SC mouse. MSR-treated BALB/cJ developed erythematous lesions less frequently than similarly treated Crl:CD1(ICR) or C57BL/6J. Lesions often were ventrolateral to the injection site. The median times to the appearance of mass and erythematous lesions were 2 d and 3 d, respectively. Histologically, the erythematous and mass reactions correlated with necrotizing to pyogranulomatous injection-site panniculitis. Inflammation severity scores at 7 and 14 d after injection were greater in the MSR-treated group than the other 2 groups. No strain- or sex-associated differences emerged except that inflammation severity scores at day 14 were higher in Crl:CD1(ICR) females than males. The character of the inflammatory response in MSR-treated mice did not differ between 7 and 14 d after injection, indicating that MSR-induced inflammation is slow to resolve. The ventral migration and delayed onset of MSR injection-site reactions could result in their being attributed to another cause or not being identified. Researchers and clinicians should be aware of the potential for slowly resolving injection-site reactions with MSR.