cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Observation of Newborn Respiratory Failure with High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation and Convention Machinery Ventilation

Objective The purpose of this study was to probe the high frequency oscillatory ventilation(HFOV) to add convention machinery ventilation(CMV) to the newborn respiratory failure therapeutic action.Methods 17 examples newborn were treated using(HFOV+CMV) with CMV treatment defeat's respiratory failure,compared with treatment around heart rate,average arterial pressure,P02,PC02 and oxygenate index(OI).Results The heart rate and average arterial pressure after HFOV+CMV treatment 1 hour,6-12 hour,comparison difference non-significance(P0.05);the P02 was elevated,PC02 and OI was decreased after HFOV+CMV treatment 1 hour,6-12 hour,so a significant difference existed between them(P0.01).Conclusion The oxygenate and the ventilation function may be improved using HFOV+CMV treatment for the CMV treatment defeat's newborn respiratory failure,and do not effect cardiovascular system.
The Study and Practice of Super Rice Breeding in Jilin Province

There are Three development phases of super rice breeding in Jilin province: the start of super rice breeding,the study of super rice breeding,and the popularization of super rice variety and the development of breeding technology.In the theory of Yang Shou-ren,ideal plant type combining with heterosis guidance,the breeding objects of high quality super rice in Jilin Province were revised.We put forward the new technology roadmap of the super rice breeding in Jilin province to increase the rice yield to more than 12000kg·hm-2.
Pineal research: the decade of transformation.

In a little more than a decade (1954–1965), the pineal gland was demonstrated to be an active neuroendocrine transducer in contrast to a functionless vestige as earlier supposed.
Evaluation of Thyroid Bed Sampling

Total thyroidectomy followed by surveillance of the neck and thyroid bed for recurrent disease is the mainstay of treatment for primary differentiated thyroid cancers. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the thyroid bed determines if the new lesion is recurrent thyroid cancer or residual hyperplastic thyroid tissue. The features of cytologic features of malignancy are usually similar to that in the primary tumor. Direct extension from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma as well as metastasis from a distant site can mimic thyroid bed recurrence of thyroid cancer. Benign entities may include hyperplasia of residual normal thyroid, normal parathyroid gland, benign lymph nodes, and benign reparative changes such as fibrosis and suture granulomas.
Reflections on Time Perspectives and Economics

Energy—its economics, its technology, its effects on the natural ecosystem and on the artificial one called civilization—has within it many different natural time perspectives, which lead to different opinions of what should be done. Should we plan for the short term or the long term? The plans will probably differ, and perhaps even conflict. What is a short or a long term? Different time perspectives involve different social groups. The selective involvement of, or inattention to, these various groups causes much of the difficulty with energy decisions, as already described in Chapter 1.
Introduction to high-performance fibers

There is continuing interest in technical textiles around the world, and this is one of the fastest growing sectors of the manufacturing industry. Many of these products use specialty fibers and the search for new and improved fibers is continuing. The field of high performance fibers is continuously evolving, thanks to the efforts of many scientists and engineers in universities, research centers and industries. This book is an effort to capture the developments in the past several years on high performance fibers. This book has 14 chapters covering a wide range of fibers from inorganic to synthetic aliphatic, aromatic and cyclic polymeric fibers, and natural fibers that have been written by internationally recognized experts in their respective fields.
FEEDING DAMAGE OF RUSSIAN WHEAT APHID ON RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE WHEAT GENOTYPES

Effects of Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko) feeding on resistant wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plant introduction line, PI 137739 (antibiotic line), and a susceptible cuitivar, Stephens, were examined. Reduction in leaf chlorophyll content was determined after different densities (0,40 and 80) of aphids were allowed to feed for 3, 6, 9, and 11 days in leaf cages attached to seedlings. In the non-caged region of infested plants, leaf chlorophyll content was significantly higher in PI 137739 compared with Stephens. Reduction in chlorophyll content was not aphid-density or duration of aphid-feeding dependent in the non-caged regions. In the caged region, increased physical damage to leaves and significant reduction in total chlorophyll content were observed in PI 137739 compared with Stephens. Increased aphid density and prolonged aphid-feeding caused greater reduction in leaf chlorophyll content in caged sections. Increased probing of aphids because of restricted movement in the caged section and tissue unpalatibility of the resistant genotype could have caused severe chlorophyll reduction in the resistant plant introduction line, PI 137739.
Practical Issues in Equating and Scaling to Achieve Comparability

Many of the practical issues that are involved in conducting equating are described in this chapter. We describe major issues and provide references that consider these issues in more depth. The early portions of this chapter focus on equating dichotomously scored paper and pencil tests. In later portions, the focus broadens to include practical issues in scaling to achieve comparability, including computerized testing and performance and other types of alternative assessments.
Asymptotics of M-estimators in non-linear regression with long-range dependent errors

This note first establishes the asymptotic uniform linearity of M-scores in a family of non-linear regression models when the errors are long-range dependent Gaussian or a function of such random variables. This result is then used to obtain the large sample distributions of a class of M-estimators of the underlying parameters for a large class of non-linear regression models. The class of estimators includes analogs of the least square, least absolute deviation and the Huber(c) estimators. The note also gives the asymptotic uniform linearity of the residual empirical processes.
Behavior management in the child with developmental disabilities

Pediatricians who serve children with developmental disabilities would be well advised to study and practice applied behavior analysis. Within a behavior analytic framework, the pediatrician views the child's aberrant performance as being a constellation of behavioral excesses and skill deficits that serve a functional purpose, rather than as being a symptom of some underlying illness or intrapsychic mechanism. The pediatrician can counsel the child, parents, and teachers to rearrange their environment, with an emphasis on how they can behave differently toward one another in specific situations, so as to alter the target behavior. When the child's problem behaviors are relatively severe or intractable, the pediatrician can refer the patient and family to a behavior specialist while continuing to support efforts to improve the child's overall health and adjustment.
Epidemiological and Virological Characteristics of Influenza in Chongqing, China, 2011-2015

Background Chongqing is the largest municipality and located in Southwestern of China, with over 30 million registered inhabitants. There are few reports regarding the epidemiology of influenza in Chongqing. The objective of the paper is to explore the epidemiology of influenza in Chongqing, in order to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of influenza. Methodology /Principal Findings From 2011 to 2015, we collected information on influenza-like illness (ILI) patients fulfilling the case definition, and took nasalpharyngeal or throat swabs specimens from ILI cases per week at the 7 sentinel hospitals. Specimens were tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) for influenza. Descriptive epidemiology was applied to analyze the epidemiology and etiology of influenza. A total of 9,696,212 cases were enrolled, of which 111,589 were ILI. Of those 24,868 samples from ILI cases, 13.3% (3,314/24,868) tested positive for influenza virus (65.7% influenza A, 34.1% influenza B, and 0.2% influenza A and B co-infection). Among the influenza A viruses, 71.3% were seasonal influenza A(H3N2) and 28.7% were influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. No cases of seasonal A(H1N1) were detected. The isolation rate was highest in children aged 5–14 years old. Influenza activity consistently peaked during January-March in 2011–2015, and June-July in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Conclusions Influenza is an important public health problem among ILI patients in Chongqing, especially among school-aged children. It might be beneficial to prioritize influenza vaccination for school-aged children and implement the school-based intervention to prevent and mitigating influenza outbreaks in Chongqing, particularly during the seasonal peaks.
83 Evidencing care of the dying adult in a district general hospital

Background Recent national documents, such as One Chance to Get it Right and Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care, have highlighted the importance of high quality end of life care. In particular they have promoted the use of individualised care planning for the dying adult. Ashford and St Peters NHS Trust is a busy district general hospital in Surrey and has over 1000 deaths per year. To ensure that high quality care was delivered to all by all healthcare professionals an individualised care plan was devised. A baseline audit was undertaken before this was rolled out across the trust. Methods An audit tool was created based on the 5 priorities of care and NICE guidance for care of the dying adult. This was to assess the documentation of care given to the dying adult and their family. A retrospective notes review of the first 100 deaths in quarter 1 was undertaken. Results Recognition of dying on the wards ranged from 50%–100% and was initially documented by the medical team in 60%. Most patients were recognised as dying in the last 48 hours. Almost 80% of patients were unable to participate in decision making about their care, although family was involved in over 95%. Over 55% were prescribed anticipatory medication and over 20% had evidence of a holistic assessment. Less than 5% of notes reviewed showed evidence of adequate individualised care planning in the last days of life. Conclusion This audit has highlighted that health professionals were recognising dying. Late recognition leads to patients not being involved in their care planning and achieving their ?priorities of care. Documentation and care is reliant on individual health care professionals approach rather than an informed, standardised practice. Individualised care planning can support healthcare professionals in delivering and evidencing this care.
Preparedness for terrorism: managing nuclear, biological and chemical threats.

The management of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) terrorism events is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality in the next decade; however, initial patient care considerations and protective actions for staff are unfamiliar to most front-line clinicians. High explosive events (bomb and blast) remain the most common type of terrorism and are easy to detect. Conversely, some types of terrorist attacks are more likely to be unsuspected or covert. This paper explains the current threat of terrorism and describes clues for detection that an event has occurred. Specific criteria that should lead to a high suspicion for terrorism are illustrated. The manuscript outlines initial actions and clinical priorities for management and treatment of patients exposed to nuclear/radiological, biological, chemical and combined agents (for example an explosion involving a chemical agent). Examples of terrorist events include: a nuclear explosion, an aerosolised release of anthrax (biological), dissemination of sarin in a subway (chemical), and the detonation of a radiologic dispersion device or "dirty bomb" (combined explosive and radiological). Basic principles of decontamination include potential risks to healthcare providers from secondary exposure and contamination. Unique issues may hinder clinical actions. These include coordination with law enforcement for a crime scene, public health entities for surveillance and monitoring, hazardous materials teams for decontamination, and the media for risk communications. Finally, the importance of personal preparedness is discussed. Language: en
Hydrogen production by water electrolysis

Abstract: An electrolyzer combines an oxidation and a reduction reaction, driven by electricity, to produce separate streams of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by a process called electrolysis. The hydrogen contains a portion of the electrical energy, and it can be used to generate electricity in a fuel cell by a process that is the reverse of electrolysis. If water electrolysis is driven by renewable electricity, it can be used in fuel-cell electric vehicles to displace petroleum, increase vehicle efficiency, and reduce the environmental impact of vehicles. The fundamental aspects of electrolytic hydrogen and its use as energy carrier are discussed.
The Challenges of Providing Interventional Radiology Services to Rural and Smaller Community Hospitals.

OBJECTIVE. Recruitment and retention of interventional radiologists for rural and smaller community hospital practices is a serious physician staffing issue. This article explores rural interventio...
Connecting deep neural networks to physical, perceptual and electrophysiological auditory signals

Deep neural networks have been recently shown to capture intricate information transformation of signals from the sensory profiles to semantic representations that facilitate recognition or discrimination of complex stimuli. In this vein, convolution neural networks (CNNs) have been used very successfully in image and audio classification. Designed to imitate the hierarchical structure of the nervous system, CNNs reflect activation with increasing degrees of complexity that transform the incoming signal onto object-level representations. In this work, we employ a CNN trained for large-scale object classification to gain insights about the contribution of various audio representations that guide sound perception. The analysis contrasts activation of different layers of a convolutional neural network with acoustic features extracted directly from the scenes, perceptual salience obtained from behavioral responses of human listeners, as well as neural oscillations recorded by Electroencephalography (EEG) in response to the same natural scenes. All three measures are tightly linked quantities believed to guide percepts of salience and object formation when listening to complex scenes. The results paint a picture of the intricate interplay between low-level and object-level representations in guiding auditory salience that is very much dependent on context and sound category.
Introduction: Diplomatic Recognition and the Taliban Movement

Recognition was the top foreign policy priority of the new Taliban movement in Afghanistan. This chapter answers two questions: What is diplomatic recognition? and Why was American diplomatic recognition so important to the Taliban? The chapter explains the different theoretical and legal criteria that states use to recognize new regimes or new states. It investigates the tangible and intangible benefits that come from diplomatic recognition. Recognition legitimates the authority of the government for the domestic audience. Domestic legitimacy was especially important to the Taliban, who were engaged in a civil war for the majority of their tenure. It argues that the United States adheres to a constitutive theory of diplomatic recognition and recognizes new governments for political, rather than legal, reasons. It did not recognize the Taliban government for domestic political reasons and a misperception of the geostrategic importance of Afghanistan after the Cold War.
Mechanisms and effects of ultrasound-assisted supercritical CO2 extraction

Abstract Background Supercritical CO2 (SC CO2) extraction is a novel technology, with numerous advantages over conventional extraction methods, such as improved kinetics, extract quality, and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, low yield and high cost relative to conventional extraction methods limit its industrial practicality. Ultrasound assistance may be useful in addressing some of these limitations, although it simultaneously affects multiple aspects of SC CO2 extraction. An understanding of these effects is useful to harness ultrasound to address current limitations of SC CO2 extraction. Scope and approach In this review the mechanisms of ultrasound assistance are considered in the context of supercritical CO2. These mechanisms are further analyzed to describe the effects of ultrasound on extraction kinetics and to determine the effects of ultrasound under different operating conditions. Ultimately, an understanding of these factors provides a basis to observe the effects of ultrasound on the accuracy of mathematical modelling and the commercialization potential of ultrasound-assisted SC CO2 extraction. Key findings and conclusions While there is a promising outlook for ultrasound-assisted SC CO2 extraction, its benefits are not universal across all extraction conditions. Particularly, its effects are lessened when the substrate particle size is optimized. Ultrasound may also increase temperature, leading to reduced extraction efficiency. While preliminary results in some research work indicate that high-power ultrasound for a short duration is effective, future work should continue to address optimal ultrasound operating parameters. Despite notable reductions in the accuracy of mathematical modelling, due to ultrasound, some adapted models have achieved comparable accuracy. To limit the challenges of a coupled ultrasonic SC CO2 process, a hyphenated process may also be suitable.
Eating NAFTA: trade, food policies, and the destruction of Mexico

Recent NAFTA debates have gripped the imagination of media outlets, often echoing a Trumpian rhetoric that positions the United States as the sole victim of the unfair trade deal. Yet, with the exc...
Social and Anti-Social Justification: A Study of Lehrer’s Epistemology

Keith Lehrer has advanced understanding of almost every issue in epistemology. This makes the task of surveying his epistemology rewarding but difficult. I concentrate of Lehrer’s general account of epistemic justification, as expressed in Knowledge and later work, on the metaepistemic concerns reflected in his decision-theoretic approach to epistemic problems, and on the relations between epistemic justification and knowledge.1 I say little directly about Lehrer’s work on induction or the fourth conditions for knowledge he has proposed to meet Gettier problems. I limit my discussion of fourth conditions for knowledge because I find in Lehrer’s writings the core of a sounder and richer approach to Gettier and related problems. There is a concern in the early pages of Knowledge with social factors in epistemic justification, but this concern dissipates as the book proceeds.2 I think that Lehrer should have pursued this concern. Thus I conclude this essay by shaping Lehrer’s interest in social factors into a proposal for meeting Gettier and related problems concerning knowledge and justification in a conceptually novel and, hopefully, satisfactory way.
Interactive Body-Driven Graphics for Augmented Video Performance

We present a system that augments live presentation videos with interactive graphics to create a powerful and expressive storytelling environment. Using our system, the presenter interacts with the graphical elements in real-time with gestures and postures, thus leveraging our innate, everyday skills to enhance our communication capabilities with the audience. However, crafting such an interactive and expressive performance typically requires programming, or highly-specialized tools tailored for experts. Our core contribution is a flexible, direct manipulation UI which enables amateurs and experts to craft such presentations beforehand by mapping a variety of body movements to a wide range of graphical manipulations. By simplifying the mapping between gestures, postures, and their corresponding output effects, our UI enables users to craft customized, rich interactions with the graphical elements. Our user study demonstrates the potential usage and unique affordance of this mixed-reality medium for storytelling and presentation across a range of application domains.
Theoretical Summary of the HADRON99 conference

The Constituent Quark Model has provided a remarkable description of the experimentally observed hadron spectrum but still has no firm theoretical basis. Attempts to provide a QCD justification discussed at Hadron99 include QCD Sum Rules, instantons, relativistic potential models and the lattice. Phenomenological analyses to clarify outstanding problems like the nature of the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons and the low branching ratio for $\psi' \to \rho-\pi$ were presented. New experimental puzzles include the observation of $\bar p p \to \phi \pi$.
Characterization of strawberry (Fragaria spp.) accessions by genotyping with SSR markers and phenotyping by leaf antioxidant and trichome analysis

Abstract Strawberry is an important fruit crop for its nutritional value and is known to have high amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants in strawberry can protect from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other health issues. Therefore, the demand for strawberry consumption has been on the rise for more than a decade. Strawberry fruits are more prone to pests and diseases partly due to their higher water and nutrient content and low pH levels. Hence there is a need for improved strawberry lines with better stress tolerance without compromising fruit quality. In this study, we genotyped thirty-three strawberry accessions utilizing thirty-five SSR markers to observe genetic diversity or relatedness among the accessions studied and phenotyped based on leaf total antioxidant (TA) content and trichome density. We identified 120 alleles with an average of 3.43 alleles per locus. Shannon indices, which are indicative of measure of diversity ranged from 0.1461 for the marker ARSFL_9 to 1.6635 for the marker FG1a/b. All thirty-three accessions were grouped into five clusters based on the genetic diversity analysis. From our analysis, the four out of thirty-three genotypes named Wendy, Elan hybrid, Clancy and Record contain higher amounts total antioxidants as well as higher trichome density. Further studies will be needed to find the possibility of linkage between these traits. Information generated from our studies can be utilized in cultivar development and authentication of genotypes.
Mechanical Treatment of Crack-Arrest Holes Subjected to Distortion-Induced Fatigue

Abstract Fatigue cracking is a major concern for many aging steel bridges in the United States. A common form of crack remediation is the drilling of crack-arrest holes, increasing the crack tip radius and thus reducing the applied stress intensity. However, the majority of cracking that occurs in bridge structures is caused by distortion-induced fatigue. Cross-frame forces generated by differential girder displacement produce multiaxial, mixed-mode fatigue loading at the intersection of the girder web, flange, and connection plate, producing cracking along web-to-stiffener welds and flange-to-web welds. Crack-arrest holes are often used as a first line of defense at these cracks. However, crack-arrest holes deform out-of-plane under distortion-induced fatigue loading, and have been found to be of limited utility in this application. Previous research has shown that mechanical treatment of crack-arrest holes has the potential to improve the efficacy of crack-arrest holes for halting crack propagation for in-plane fatigue, but the performance of such treatments is unknown for distortion-induced fatigue cracks. A research program sponsored by the Kansas Department of Transportation is investigating the effectiveness of one such technology for controlling crack propagation in steel bridge girders susceptible to distortion-induced fatigue. This technology produces a cold-worked region around the crack-arrest hole, introducing a field of compressive residual stresses aimed at retarding crack propagation. Evaluation of the mechanically treated crack-arrest holes is evaluated analytically for both in-plane and out-of-plane fatigue loading. This paper presents background on the problem and preliminary findings of the study.
Left Ventricular Assist Device and the Kidney: Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used for the management of patients with advanced heart failure (AHF) due to their established salutary impact on hemodynamic status and survival benefit. Impairment in kidney function is common in the setting of AHF and is associated with adverse impact on the outcomes. Cardiorenal interactions represent a complex pattern in these patients rendering their care a challenge that needs to be addressed by multidisciplinary approaches. Following LVAD implantation, AHF patients have the potential to achieve marked improvement in kidney function due to increased cardiac output and kidney perfusion as well as reduction in renal venous congestion. However, a subset of these patients is also at risk for acute kidney injury and resurgence of kidney dysfunction on continued mechanical circulatory support. Herein, we provide an overview of various aspects of changes in kidney function pre- and post-LVAD implantation, review potential underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, and the impact on the outcomes. Moreover, the currently available data on renal replacement therapy of LVAD-treated patients, whether in the acute setting or as a maintenance therapy, are discussed in detail along with areas of high clinical relevance where a clear gap in knowledge exists.
Silk Fibroin-Decorin Engineered Biologics to Repair Musculofascial Defects

The use of synthetic mesh (e.g., polypropylene [PP] mesh) and biologic (e.g., porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM)) for the repair of abdominal wall musculofascial has limitations associated with an increased risk of complications and finite properties, respectively. Silk fibroin (SF)-based scaffolds are fabricated with decorin blends (SFD) to create a matrix platform with the desired structure-property function to be translated to the clinic to address patient-specific needs. PADM and SFD composites with SFD or PADM facing the peritoneal cavity were tested in an in vivo incisional ventral hernia repair model using female Hartley guinea pigs. At week 4, gross observation of adhesion grade and strength showed that the SFD, PADM, and composites resulted in fewer and weaker adhesions than did PP mesh (p < 0.05). Mechanical properties at the musculofascial-implant interface in the SFD group were similar to those of the native abdominal wall. SFD group exhibited homogeneous three-dimensional cell infiltration, vascularization, and tissue remodeling in implants. In conclusion, SFD promotes musculofascial regeneration.
Mouse models of uveal melanoma: Strengths, weaknesses, and future directions

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary malignancy of the eye, and a number of discoveries in the last decade have led to a more thorough molecular characterization of this cancer. However, the prognosis remains dismal for patients with metastases, and there is an urgent need to identify treatments that are effective for this stage of disease. Animal models are important tools for preclinical studies of uveal melanoma. A variety of models exist, and they have specific advantages, disadvantages, and applications. In this review article, these differences are explored in detail, and ideas for new models that might overcome current challenges are proposed.
Persistence of Bacteriophage Phi 6 on Porous and Nonporous Surfaces and the Potential for Its Use as an Ebola Virus or Coronavirus Surrogate.

The infection of health care workers during the 2013 to 2016 Ebola outbreak raised concerns about fomite transmission. In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, investigations are ongoing to determine the role of fomites in coronavirus transmission as well. The bacteriophage phi 6 has a phospholipid envelope and is commonly used in environmental studies as a surrogate for human enveloped viruses. The persistence of phi 6 was evaluated as a surrogate for Ebola virus (EBOV) and coronaviruses on porous and nonporous hospital surfaces. Phi 6 was suspended in a body fluid simulant and inoculated onto 1-cm2 coupons of steel, plastic, and two fabric curtain types. The coupons were placed at two controlled absolute humidity (AH) levels: a low AH of 3.0 g/m3 and a high AH of 14.4 g/m3 Phi 6 declined at a lower rate on all materials under low-AH conditions, with a decay rate of 0.06-log10 PFU/day to 0.11-log10 PFU/day, than under the higher AH conditions, with a decay rate of 0.65-log10 PFU/h to 1.42-log10 PFU/day. There was a significant difference in decay rates between porous and nonporous surfaces at both low AH (P < 0.0001) and high AH (P < 0.0001). Under these laboratory-simulated conditions, phi 6 was found to be a conservative surrogate for EBOV under low-AH conditions in that it persisted longer than Ebola virus in similar AH conditions. Additionally, some coronaviruses persist longer than phi 6 under similar conditions; therefore, phi 6 may not be a suitable surrogate for coronaviruses.IMPORTANCE Understanding the persistence of enveloped viruses helps inform infection control practices and procedures in health care facilities and community settings. These data convey to public health investigators that enveloped viruses can persist and remain infective on surfaces, thus demonstrating a potential risk for transmission. Under these laboratory-simulated Western indoor hospital conditions, we assessed the suitability of phi 6 as a surrogate for environmental persistence research related to enveloped viruses, including EBOV and coronaviruses.
Appendix to 'The Circulation of Bank Capital and the General Rate of Interest'

This appendix is to an article that is to be published, but the appendix will not be published with it. The appendix will be made publicly available on the SSRN website after publication.
Relative Contribution of Verbal Working Memory and Attention to Child Language

It is common in intervention research to use measures of working memory either as an explanatory or control variable. This study examines the contribution of cognitive abilities, including verbal w...
Estimating Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Ohio: A Bayesian Multilevel Regression and Poststratification Approach with Multiple Imperfect Diagnostic Tests

Globally the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has infected more than 50 million people and killed more than 1.25 million. Designing and monitoring interventions to slow and stop the spread of the virus require knowledge of how many people have been and are currently infected, where they live, and how they interact. The first step is an accurate assessment of the population prevalence of past infections. There are very few population-representative prevalence studies of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and only two American states -- Indiana and Connecticut -- have reported probability-based sample surveys that characterize state-wide prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. One of the difficulties is the fact that the tests to detect and characterize SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus antibodies are new, not well characterized, and generally function poorly. During July, 2020, a survey representing all adults in the American state of Ohio collected biomarkers and information on protective behavior related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Several features of the survey make it difficult to estimate past prevalence: 1) a low response rate, 2) very low number of positive cases, and 3) the fact that multiple, poor quality serological tests were used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We describe a new Bayesian approach for analyzing the biomarker data that simultaneously addresses these challenges and characterizes the potential effect of selective response. The model does not require survey sample weights, accounts for multiple, imperfect antibody test results, and characterizes uncertainty related to the sample survey and the multiple, imperfect, potentially correlated tests.
The WTO, the Environment and Health and Safety Standards

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a product of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO was created in the last round of negotiations (Uruguay Round, 1986-94) to provide a stronger set of institutions to administer the various agreements negotiated under the GATT framework. Because the WTO is more powerful than its predecessors, critics claim that it poses a threat to national sovereignty. Concerns about the ability of nations to set their own environmental and health and safety agendas have figured prominently in these critiques. In addition, critics suggest that the WTO prioritises trade objectives at the expense of environmental and health and safety objectives. The article explores the extent to which the WTO has been able to reconcile trade, environmental and health and safety objectives by analysing its rulings on these matters. Overall, this analysis suggests that the WTO dispute resolution process has balanced all three sets of objectives. However, it is important to note the small number of disputes to date; only 21of the 175 disputes before the WTO involve environmental and health and safety matters. Further, the WTO has issued decisions in only six of these cases.
Advancements in Spine FE Mesh Development: Toward Patient-Specific Models

Laboratory-driven experimental studies are capable of delineating the biomechanical characteristics of the spine. They are limited, however, to external responses; that is, internal stresses and strains throughout the structures are not readily attained. Mathematical simulations provide a unique opportunity to serve as an adjunct to experimental studies to predict the external responses, while complementing the experiments by providing such internal responses. Musculoskeletal finite element (FE) analyses have emerged as an invaluable tool in orthopaedic-related research. While it has provided significant insight into the biomechanics of the spine, the demands associated with modeling the geometrically complex structures often limit its utility. Individualized models are important for future development of this field, as they offer a means of correlating mechanical predictions with clinical outcomes. However, relatively few FE studies to date have employed specimen- or patient-specific models. Spine modeling is by no means an exception. In this chapter we describe multiblock methods for generating subject-specific spine meshes to alleviate the current limitations of spine meshing. In addition, we demonstrate additional computational tools to perform “virtual surgery,” and show examples of how the techniques have been applied to date.
Germanium Photodiode Arrays on Silicon-On-Insulator With On-Chip Bias Circuit

Foundry-enabled Ge-on-Si waveguide (WG) photodiodes (PDs) with on-chip bias circuit are demonstrated. While a single-element PD has a 52-GHz bandwidth (BW) and a radio frequency (RF) saturation power of −11 dBm at 40 GHz, PD arrays composed of 2 and 4 PDs have RF saturation powers of −6.7 dBm at 40 GHz and −2.3 dBm at 27 GHz, respectively. The bias circuits are analyzed.
Simulus: Easy Breezy Simulation in Python

This paper introduces Simulus, a full-fledged open-source discrete-event simulator, supporting both event-driven and process-oriented simulation world-views. Simulus is implemented in Python and aspires to be a part of the Python's ecosystem supporting scientific computing. Simulus also provides several advanced modeling constructs to ease common simulation tasks (e.g., complex queuing models, interprocess synchronizations, and message-passing communications). Simulus also provides organic support for simultaneously running a time-synchronized group of simulators, either sequentially or in parallel, thereby allowing composable simulation of individual simulators handling different aspects of a target system, and enabling large-scale simulation running on parallel computers. This paper describes the salient features of Simulus and examines its major design decisions.
Daytime sleepiness underlies the link between adverse parenting and youth psychopathology among adolescent girls.

Abstract Introduction Adverse parenting is associated with sleep problems in adolescence, including sleep quality, inadequate sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Adolescents who experience sleep problems are at greater risk for developing internalizing and externalizing problems. However, research on the intervening role of sleep in the link between adverse parenting and youth psychopathology remains limited. The present study aimed to examine the indirect effects of adverse parenting on youth internalizing and externalizing psychopathology via sleep problems, and to examine the moderating role of gender in associations between parenting and sleep. Methods Participants were 101 low-income youth aged 9–12 (52.5% female; 75.2% African-American) and their primary caregivers. Families were from a non-metropolitan region in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected at two time points (T1; Mage = 10.28, SD = 1.2; T2; Mage = 12.08, SD = 1.2). Adverse parenting was measured at T1, youth-reported sleep problems (inadequacy, disturbance) and daytime sleepiness were assessed at T2, and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms were measured at T2. Results Daytime sleepiness served as an intervening variable in associations between adverse parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems, but sleep problems did not. This indirect association was moderated by gender, such that the association between adverse parenting and daytime sleepiness only emerged as significant for girls. Conclusions These findings suggest that daytime-related sleep behaviors may serve as a mechanism through which harsh or neglectful parenting is related to internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in adolescence, particularly for adolescent girls.
Insight into the AcrAB-TolC Complex Assembly Process Learned from Competition Studies.

The RND family efflux pump AcrAB-TolC in E. coli and its homologs in other Gram-negative bacteria are major players in conferring multidrug resistance to the cells. While the structure of the pump complex has been elucidated with ever-increasing resolution through crystallography and Cryo-EM efforts, the dynamic assembly process remains poorly understood. Here, we tested the effect of overexpressing functionally defective pump components in wild type E. coli cells to probe the pump assembly process. Incorporation of a defective component is expected to reduce the efflux efficiency of the complex, leading to the so called “dominant negative” effect. Being one of the most intensively studied bacterial multidrug efflux pumps, many AcrA and AcrB mutations have been reported that disrupt efflux through different mechanisms. We examined five groups of AcrB and AcrA mutants, defective in different aspects of assembly and substrate efflux. We found that none of them demonstrated the expected dominant negative effect, even when expressed at concentrations many folds higher than their genomic counterpart. The assembly of the AcrAB-TolC complex appears to have a proof-read mechanism that effectively eliminated the formation of futile pump complex.
An Empirical Investigation of Four Market-Derived Adjustment Methods

This study uses published data on 422 market sales of FHA/VA insured/ guaranteed houses to examine and compare four methods of estimating market-derived adjustment values to be employed in the sale...
Lead naphthenate additive tribochemistry in hydrocarbon oils

There is often ambiguity concerning the antiwear mechanisms of soluble lubricant additives used in bearings. For example, the common spacecraft lubricant additive lead naphthenate is thought to be effective only as long as a measurable concentration is present in the oil lubricant throughout the mechanism lifetime. Recent mechanism tests with several days of operation indicated that a hydrocarbon lubricant was depleted of lead naphthenate, even during successful operation. To elucidate this apparent contradiction we conducted tests on 440C stainless-steel thrust bearings lubricated with Apiezon C hydrocarbon oil that was formulated with 5 wt% lead naphthenate. The remaining oil in the bearings was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) after several tests with varying durations up to 336 h (2 wk). FTIR showed that lead naphthenate chemically changes within 24 h and begins to disappear in 336 h. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the chemical state of the bearing surfaces after testing. XPS spectra indicated that lead naphthenate chemisorbs onto the bearing surface with minimal bearing operation, and further reaction to elemental lead (a solid lubricant) occurs at relatively short interaction times (two weeks in our testing). Ball bearing test data indicate that, despite the early loss of additive from the oil, the lead-containing surface coatings provide continued lubrication for the ball bearing.
Gating of auditory response in schizophrenics and normal controls. Effects of recording site and stimulation interval on the P50 wave.

Auditory evoked potentials were recorded using a paired stimulus, conditioning-testing paradigm from 14 schizophrenic patients and 13 normal subjects with no family history of psychotic disorder. Previous studies of the vertex P50 wave using this paradigm have demonstrated a possible sensory gating deficit in schizophrenics, as shown by their failure to diminish the response to a test stimulus presented 500 ms after a conditioning stimulus. Recordings were made at Cz, Fz, C3, T3, C4, and T4, to compare effects at different recording sites with this paradigm. Schizophrenics had significantly poorer sensory gating than normals, with the most significant difference between the groups at Cz. In addition to the 500 ms interval, subjects were also recorded at a conditioning-testing interval of 100 ms. Most schizophrenics showed normal sensory gating at the 100 ms interval, despite their abnormalities at 500 ms. The results indicate that Cz is an optimal recording site for this paradigm, and that gating abnormalities in schizophrenic subjects are limited to specific interstimulus intervals.
Sub-Grid-Scale Turbulence Modeling

Publisher Summary This chapter describes various aspects of subgrid-scale turbulence modeling. Subgrid-scale turbulence modeling involves the direct numerical integration of the governing equations of motion, continuity, and thermodynamics within a domain of size sufficient to capture or resolve most of the kinetic energy of the system being modeled. The domain is subdivided into a network of grid points at which the physical variables are centered or into an equivalent array of Fourier spectral components, and future values of the variables are predicted numerically step by step in time. The grid scale is the distance between these grid points in any of the three coordinate directions. The subgrid-scale effects show up within the Reynolds averaged equations as extra terms called Reynolds fluxes or Reynolds stresses in the case of the equations of motion. An accurate defiltering method is also developed for representing the subgrid-scale turbulence energy itself that must be added to the energy of the explicitly calculated, filtered motions to obtain the net turbulence energy.
Optical Nonlinearities of Fractal Composites

A theory of optical responses in fractal nanostructured composite materials is outlined. It is shown that the fractal geometry results in localization of plasmon excitations in the “hot” spots, where the local field can exceed the applied field by several orders of magnitude. The high local fields of the localized fractal modes result in dramatic enhancement of optical responses, making surface-enhanced spectroscopy of single molecules and nanocrystals feasible.
Outcomes of renal transplantation in recipients with peak panel reactive antibody >30% under tacrolimus-based immunosuppression.

Background Renal transplant recipients with high panel reactive antibodies (PRA) have worse outcomes than those with lower PRA. High PRA re-transplant recipients are thought to have worse outcomes than high PRA first transplant recipients. In this study, we examined outcomes of renal transplantation recipients with a peak PRA >30% and compared the outcomes of first and re-transplanted recipients. Material/methods Survival outcomes between recipients of first transplants (n=68) and re-transplants (n=155) operated between June 1990 and August 2000 were compared. Sub-group analysis was done based on patient's gender, race and first/re-transplant. All patients received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. Results No difference in graft survival was noted between first and re-transplanted patients. Ten-year patient survival was better in the re-transplanted group (p 55 years (p=0.015), deceased donor transplant (p=0.009), first transplant patient (p=0.004) and diabetes mellitus (DM) as the cause of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (p=0.005). On multivariable analysis, factors affecting patient survival were number of the transplant (re-transplant versus first transplant, Relative risk [RR]=0.54, p=0.009) and cause of ESRD (DM versus no DM, RR=1.91, p=0.012).Diabetes as a cause for ESRD was the only factor affecting graft survival on univariate(p=0.015) and multivariable analysis (DM versus no DM, RR=1.63, p=0.017). Conclusions High PRA recipients of first transplants had poorer patient survival than high PRA re-transplants. On multivariable analysis, diabetes etiology of ESRD and first transplantation were found to be independent risk factors for poorer patient survival.
Sleep-disordered breathing and future cardiovascular disease risk

Sleep-disordered breathing occurs in 0.6-15% of reproductive age women. This condition is associated with an increased lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. A substantial body of evidence demonstrated increased perinatal morbidity among pregnancies affected by SDB including gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. These same conditions are predictive of later cardiovascular disease. Treatment of SDB has been demonstrated to decrease future cardiovascular events and mortality. Screening at-risk individuals in the perinatal period can identify women with SDB, who can benefit from treatment. Continuous positive airway pressure and lifestyle interventions can decrease subsequent adverse cardiovascular health outcomes.